


The Delinquents of Despair

by sophie_enoshima



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: AU - same universe as THH and SDR2, New Mastermind, New Motives, alternative universe, killing game, new murders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2019-08-01 10:36:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 169,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16283018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophie_enoshima/pseuds/sophie_enoshima
Summary: Shuichi Saihara wakes up in the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, told he is a criminal without his memories, paying for his crimes. Thrown into a dark killing game, Shuichi must do his best to survive, along with his classmates. His goal is to learn the truth of his past and escape a despairing fate.A Killing Game story.~ New Mastermind ~ New Motives ~ New Murders ~





	1. The Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the Delinquents of Despair! This first chapter is pretty long, which I hope you don't mind. I really wanted to take my time with the introductions. Future chapters will probably be half the length!
> 
> Happy reading! ^_^

Unaware of the world around him, Shuichi Saihara was dreaming blissfully. His body was slumped over in a chair, with his head resting against a wooden desk. The position was uncomfortable, but Shuichi wasn't awake to notice. He'd been sleeping for nearly two hours now. 

Music crept into Shuichi’s ears, disturbing him from the dream world. Shuichi was slowly stirred awake by the music, similarly to when he would fall asleep in front of the television and a noisy advert would wake him.

As Shuichi began to come to, he opened his eyes, just a fraction, to see what was going on. He was greeted by a bright screen, just inches from his face - its sharp lights hurting his newly opened eyes. Shuichi didn’t remember falling asleep in front of the television on this occasion, but perhaps his memories had escaped him.

Shuichi focused on the screen, but something about it was bothering him. The screen in front of him looked like a television, but it certainly wasn’t Shuichi’s. The screen was roughly the size of a chalkboard and had been mounted on the wall. It was nothing like Shuichi’s humble, old, and slightly broken, television at home.

Shuichi knew that he wasn’t going to fall back to sleep now since there was too much disturbance. Although, this was probably for the best. The longer he kept his eyes open, the more he began to take in. Not only did the screen in front of Shuichi seems foreign to him, but he found himself sitting at a desk which he did not recognise, in a room he had never seen before. Shuichi wasn’t sitting on his sofa, having fallen asleep in front of the television. It seemed like a classroom, but it was difficult to say as the room was in darkness, with little natural light. Shuichi was trying his hardest to focus, but his head still felt a little fuzzy, as if he’d been drugged.

The music that woke Shuichi had grown louder. It was the kind of tune that you would hear on a children's television show. It seemed as if the entire track had been recorded on a kazoo, with tambourines accompanying in the background. It was cheesy and Shuichi knew that it would drive him into madness if he listened to it for longer than thirty seconds.

Still coming to, Shuichi was determined to figure out what was going on. It crossed his mind that perhaps he was still dreaming. Shuichi’s mind began to run away with theories, but he quickly became distracted, as the screen in front of him came to life, interrupting the music.

Five teddy bears, with torturous looking smiles, appeared on the screen. They were sat together on a red sofa, sipping away at colourful cocktails.

“Rise and Shine ursine!” the bears spoke together in unison, like a creepy chorus of children.

Shuichi’s suspicions were confirmed that he was watching a children’s TV channel. He would have turned over, but there wasn’t a remote to hand. By no choice of his own, he found himself watching.

“A very special announcement is coming in five minutes!” the red bear spoke up, grinning from ear to ear. He wore a cape, fashioned with a star-shaped brooch.

“But some of you are still asleep…” the pink bear sighed, lowering her head. This bear was extremely feminine; she wore a coconut bra and had a pretty flower on her head.

“We’d hate youse to miss the announcement, so we’re gonna play the music even louder until youse are all awake.” the yellow bear explained, pushing his glasses up his nose. He had a very strong accent.

“H-huh?!” Shuichi was caught off guard by what he had just heard. The bears seemed to know that they had woken him up with music, but surely, that wasn’t possible. How could a television show be communicating with him?

“If you don’t wake up soon, we’ll play the music SO loud that your eardrums bleed!” the blue bear threatened. He was rather repulsive to look at, with patches of clumpy chest hair.

It was at this point that Shuichi began to feel alarmed. A children’s television show would never be allowed to make a comment like that. They wouldn’t design a teddy bear with chest hair, either.

“Monodam, it’s your line! You’re supposed to speak.” the pink bear was trying to convince the green bear, who she had dubbed Monodam, to talk. However, Monodam didn’t so much as move.

“He’s dead inside, so he won’t say shit!” the blue bear roared. “But bullying Monodam means we get more lines. What a boner!”

“I think you mean bonus…” the pink bear said weakly.

“Nope! I know what I mean,” the blue bear retorted. “I’ve got a rock hard rager.”

“We’ll be back in five minutes!” the red bear concluded, bringing their strange conversation to an end.

The video cut out and the bears disappeared, allowing the awful kazoo music to return. As promised, the music had gotten even louder. This only left Shuichi feeling more puzzled. What was going on and where was he?

Now that the video was over, Shuichi had some time to properly take in his surroundings. Directly in front of Shuichi was the screen that he’d been staring at, and a podium with a microphone. He could already tell that he was in a classroom or a lecture theatre.

Shuichi stood up from his desk to explore the room in more detail. However, no sooner had Shuichi come to his feet, he felt someone tap him on the back. Scared half to death, he screamed. 

“Ahhhhhh!” Shuichi cried out, reacting badly to the unexpected interaction. With his heart racing, Shuichi turned around to see who had touched him.

Sitting at the desk behind Shuichi was a boy who looked roughly the same age. He was sat casually, with his legs pulled up on his chair so he could hug his knees if he wanted to. From his attire alone, the boy seemed fashionable and confident. He wore several rings across his fingers and a gemstone around his neck. His hair had a green tinge, the exact opposite of Shuichi’s dark hair.

“Oh, my bad…” the boy sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean to make you jump like that; I thought you were awake.”

“I-I was awake, I just thought I was alone…” Shuichi replied, blinking back at the boy. He had never seen this person in his life before, that was for certain.

“I wondered when the music was gonna wake you up,” the boy said, raising his voice a little so he could be heard over it. “It’s been playing for the last thirty minutes, getting louder and louder. I never wanna hear another kazoo again in my life.”

“You’ve been awake half an hour?!” Shuichi exclaimed.

“Yeah, I’m a pretty light sleeper.” the boy said. “I’ve kind of just been wandering around the room, taking everything in and waiting for you to wake up.”

“W-what is this place?” Shuichi asked, feeling very much in the dark.

“Well, this is definitely a classroom, although I don’t recognise it.” the boy explained, confirming what Shuichi already knew. “But I haven’t been able to go outside, ‘cause it seems we’re locked in here. Though, if this is a classroom, there are some pretty strange features…”

Shuichi glanced around the room, studying it for himself. He wanted to know what the boy considered strange, and he quickly got his answer.

“T-the windows…” Shuichi whispered. He stared in horror at the left wall of the classroom. There were three windows, but each one was guarded with barbed wire. It looked vicious and sharp, threatening enough to make the hairs on Shuichi’s neck stand up.

“I’d like to think this place is just really paranoid about getting burgled, but I don’t think that’s the truth.” the boy commented.

“Surely this is against some kind of health and safety regulation....” Shuichi protested. No school would be allowed to cover their windows in wire so sharp; one misstep would result in a very nasty injury.

"This doesn’t seem like your conventional school,” the boy shook his head. “I mean, look how overgrown this place is.”

Shuichi looked up at the ceiling, which was draped with plants and weeds. Had the school’s caretaker died?! Or was this classroom just not cared for anymore…

“It gets weirder,” the boy spoke again. “Look at that.” he pointed into the distance.

Shuichi followed the boy’s finger, leading him to a monitor high up on the ceiling. It was surrounded by speakers as if it was meant to play videos. What made the monitor so strange, was the security camera right next to it, pointing directly at the boys.

“A security camera?” Shuichi mumbled. “What kind of school has that in a classroom?”

“I’ve been trying to figure that out for myself.” the boy confessed. “It looks like we’re being watched. The camera is pointing straight at us.”

“I...I don’t understand what’s going on.” Shuichi shook his head. “I’m trying to think how I got here, but it’s all one massive blur. I...I don’t know what my last memory is.” it was a scary thought to have.

“I feel the same,” the boy sighed. “I’m really confused. But maybe the announcement the bears are gonna give us will help.”

“I hope so…” Shuichi said.

“By the way, I’m Rantaro Amami.” the boy smiled, radiating friendship. “I totally forgot to introduce myself.”

“Oh...um, I’m Shuichi Saihara.” Shuichi gave his own name in return.

The boys had a lot more to say to each other, but their conversation would have to wait. Rantaro instructed for Shuichi to turn around and sit back down, as the teddy bears had reappeared on the screen. The irritating kazoo tune cut out as the bears spoke.

“Rise and shine ursine!” the bears cheered in unison. “We’re the Monokubs!”

“It looks like everyone’s awake!” the pink bear exclaimed. “Which means it’s time for the very special announcement. However, before we begin, let us introduce ourselves. I’m Monophanie.”

“I’m Monotaro!” the red bear called out.

“The name’s Monosuke.” the yellow bear said.

“You shitheads can call me Monokid!” the blue bear instructed.

The four bears turned to Monodam, expecting him to talk, despite having already given his name earlier. Monodam, feeling pressured, spoke a singular, robotic sounding word. “MONODAM.”

“Now that the introductions are outta the way, it’s time for the announcement!” Monotaro said, rubbing his paws together in delight.

Rantaro spoke up from behind Shuichi. “I wish they’d just get on with it…”

Almost as if they’d heard him, the five bears called out together. “Welcome to the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles!”

One word stood out in particular for Shuichi... Juveniles. 

“Youse are prolly sittin’ there really confused,” Monosuke predicted. “So lemme enlighten ya! Youse are all dirty, nasty criminals, but now youse have been caught for your crimes.”

“But you couldn’t just go to prison like normal people, because you’re all Ultimate students, meaning you have a very special talent,” Monophanie said. “So, you’ll be spending your time here, inside the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles.”

“This school is an up and coming modern form of punishment, to help you delinquents sort yourselves out!” Monotaro explained.

“You punks can pay for what you’ve done, whilst developing your talents,” Monokid spoke next. “A lot of people paid good money to have this building specifically done out for you sixteen cretins, cuz society lovessss its ultimates!”

“Now, youse are probably sitting there thinkin’, 'but Monosuke, I’m not a criminal',” Monosuke said, putting on a strange accent for his impression, which wasn’t very good. “That’s cuz we’ve taken all your memories that link to your criminal pasts.”

“We can't have a bunch of dangerous individuals running around this place together!" Monotaro exclaimed. "A bloodbath might occur!”

“Imagine how gory that would be!” Monophanie shuddered.

“All criminals are welcome here, from petty thefts to serial killers.” Monotaro smiled as if it were normal. “So who knows what you’re spending time for? It really could be anything!”

“The Headmaster of the academy is currently preparing in the gymnasium, ready to welcome all of you,” Monophanie said.

“He isn’t ready yet though,” Monokid followed. “So you’ll have to fucking wait!”

“Why not go and meet your fellow classmates, so you can get to know them a little better?” Monophanie suggested. “The rooms you find yourselves in have now been unlocked, so you can walk the academy around as you please.”

“I wouldn’t make friends just yet, though…” Monokid smirked.

“We’ll let you know when it's time to meet at the gym,” Monotaro said.

“So long, bear well!” waving goodbye, the bears disappeared.

The screen went black and the music did not return, leaving Shuichi to process his thoughts. Everything had happened so quickly, that he wasn’t sure what to think. An academy for criminals…? That couldn’t be right. Shuichi wasn’t a criminal; he was a detective. He worked with his Uncle to solve crimes, not commit them. There had to be some kind of a mix-up. He turned back around to face Rantaro, who looked just as shocked.

“I...I thought it might be something weird, but I wasn’t expecting that.” Rantaro was a little lost for words. “The Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles. That can’t be…”

“Have you heard of this place?” Shuichi asked.

“Huh?” Rantaro’s face was blank. “Oh, no. I’ve never heard of this place before. I just don’t understand why I’m here.”

"Me either, I’m innocent.” Shuichi protested, struggling to come to terms with what he’d heard. He had never done anything remotely illegal in his life; he even felt guilty when a shop assistant would accidentally give him too much change.

“I feel the same way.” Rantaro murmured. “I’m not a criminal, at least, I don’t remember ever being one.”

“Maybe this is some kind of mix-up,” Shuichi suggested, considering all possible theories.

“Maybe…” said Rantaro although he didn't seem convinced. “But the Monokubs, as they called themselves, did say that we were going to feel like this. Apparently, they’ve taken all memories related to our crimes, so we feel like we’re innocent.”

“I know that they said that, but it seems a little far fetched.” Shuichi frowned. “How can you just take a person’s memories?”

That being said, it would make sense as to why Shuichi's own memories were a blur. When trying to think back on his last memory, Shuichi’s mind produced a jumbled up montage. He could see himself doing mundane tasks like getting dinner, waking up for school, and watching television, but there nothing specific that he could grasp ahold of. It was almost as if someone had cherry-picked his memories, which would support what the Monokubs had said…

“Rantaro,” Shuichi said. “What’s the last thing that you remember?” he wanted to see if Rantaro felt the same way as him.

“Honestly, I don’t really know.” Rantaro shrugged. “I’m trying to think, but nothing is coming to me. I can kind of picture glimpses of memories, but nothing important.”

“Our memories are alike then,” Shuichi remarked. “I’m remembering events from a few years ago perfectly fine, so it seems that my memories have been messed with within a small time frame.”

“Yeah, it’s the same for me.” Rantaro nodded. “Memories from a couple of years ago and older are all I’ve got.”

“It’s interesting that we’ve both lost our memories from the same time.” Shuichi mused.

“If that’s true, does that mean you and I were part of the same crime?” Rantaro put forward.

“Perhaps,” Shuichi replied, despite no way of knowing. However, it seemed highly unlikely. He still didn’t believe that he was even a criminal. If he had met Rantato in his past, then he didn’t remember him.

“When we get to meet the Headmaster later, hopefully, he’ll answer some of our questions,” Rantaro said. “It’s strange that they told us our situation through some kind of anime. Why were there bears and not police officers or prison guards?”

“I don’t think that was an anime,” Shuichi shook his head. “Those bears looked quite real.”

“Using animatronics is even weirder…” Rantaro said. “It must be some kind of positive reinforcement technique. If they show us teddies, sunshine and rainbows, we’ll become better people.”

Hearing Rantaro talk of positive reinforcement strategies disturbed Shuichi a little, as it made everything seem real. Was he really being detained for a dark crime that he had committed? It was all so frustrating since Shuichi felt like he knew very little about the situation. It was like a gigantic puzzle, but Shuichi only had one piece. If he really wanted to understand, then he had to start looking for the other pieces.

“I think I’m going to take a look around the academy,” Shuichi announced, changing the subject. “I want to investigate this place properly.”

“That’s a good idea,” Rantaro agreed. “Maybe we’ll run into some of the other Ultimate students that the Monokubs mentioned.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Shuichi recalled. “They said that everyone here is an Ultimate.” it had totally slipped Shuichi’s mind, as he was not used to being around other Ultimates. He wasn’t even sure if he’d met one before, and he barely considered himself to be one.

“Speaking of Ultimates, what’s your talent?” Rantaro asked, curiously.

“I’m...the Ultimate Detective,” Shuichi replied shamefully, as he didn’t hold the title close to him. He was anything but an Ultimate. 

“A detective, huh?” Rantaro said. “Looks like I’ve been partnered up with the best kind of person for this situation." 

“I really wouldn’t consider myself an Ultimate.” Shuichi didn’t want Rantaro depending on him. Ever since the 'incident', he didn’t want to be associated with solving mysteries anymore. He was going to find his way out of the academy, but that was it. “What about you?” he returned the question, taking the spotlight off of himself.

“Ah, well…” Rantaro expressed nervous laughter. “You see, I don’t exactly remember my Ultimate talent.”

Shuichi was surprised to hear this. “You don’t?”

“Sadly, not,” Rantaro sighed. “Just like the rest of my memories, it’s all a blur. If I have an Ultimate talent, I don’t know what it is.”

“Maybe you’re suffering from some kind of amnesia?” Shuichi theorised. “If we meet the others, that might trigger your brain into remembering something.”

“I hope so,” Rantaro said.

“The Monokubs said there’s sixteen of us if I remember correctly,” Shuichi reflected. “Excluding the two of us, there must be fourteen other people in this school.”

“That’s pretty small.” Rantaro raised his eyebrows. “But at least it’ll make remembering everyone's’ names a lot easier.” he attempted to crack a joke to lighten the mood.

“If all of this is true, we’re about to meet fourteen other criminals,” Shuichi said, somewhat nervously. As a detective, he had worked with bad people before, but never this many at once without protection.

“If all of this is true, then we’re just as guilty as them.” Rantaro pointed out.

Shuichi couldn’t tell if this comment was supposed to put his mind at ease, but it only made him feel worse.

Without any further hesitation, the boys got up from their seats, leaving the classroom behind in favour of exploring the academy. When the boys stepped outside of the classroom, they found themselves in a long hallway, which looked just as overgrown and abandoned as the classroom they had been in.

“They could really do with a gardener around here…” Rantaro remarked.

“These windows are covered up too.” Shuichi eyed up more barbed wire, making a mental note to never stand too close to it.

There were some stairs to their left, which appeared to lead down into the basement. To their right, the hallway continued, where it bent around the corner, presumably leading to more rooms.

Rantaro turned to Shuichi. “Where first?”

“We should explore everywhere that we can, but I don’t really feel like starting in the basement,” Shuichi admitted. “This place is creepy enough as it is…”

Putting off the basement for later, the boys went right, continuing down the hallway. The first stop they came to was a pair of coloured doors, clearly labelled as gendered bathrooms. 

“What do you think?” Rantaro asked Shuichi. “Is it worth looking inside?”

“We can’t go inside the girls’ bathroom, but it’s certainly worth checking the boys’.” Shuichi nodded. “You should never leave a stone unturned because you don’t know what you’re going to miss.”

“After you then.” Rantaro pushed open the blue door, allowing Shuichi to walk inside first.

The boys entered the bathroom, but they were greeted by a shocking sight, which caught them completely off guard. A girl was leaning over the sinks, splashing her face with water.

“D-did we come through the right door?!” Shuichi exclaimed, panicked to be in the same bathroom as a girl.

Rantaro had lost some of his confidence also. “I...I think so?…” 

Having heard voices over the sound of the running water, the girl looked up from the sink. Making eye contact with the boys, she screamed in horror. "Ahhh!" Drops of water ran down her face, soaking her purple vest. “What do you think you’re doing in here?! G-get out, right now!”

“B-but...this is the boys’ bathroom.” Shuichi protested, unsure why he was being shouted at.

“H-huh?!” the girl exclaimed, appearing flustered.

Rantaro walked back to the door, opening it again to reveal the blue paint. “Yup, this is the boys’ bathroom.”

In a matter of seconds, the girl’s cheeks went scarlet. “I...I’m so sorry! I must’ve gotten mixed up, I…”

“You really didn’t notice the blue door?” Rantaro raised his eyebrows, somewhat prodding fun at the situation.

“No, I didn’t…” the girl shook her head. “I’ve been feeling really sick since I woke up, so I just walked into the first bathroom that I saw. I thought some cold water on my face might help.”

“That’s an easy mistake to make.” Shuichi offered sympathy.

“Well...I better be going.” the girl wiped her face with the sleeve of her blouse, attempting to dry herself off.

“Hey, hang on second!” Rantaro said, stopping the girl before she left. “You don’t need to run off.”

“This is too embarrassing.” the girl insisted, laughing a little.

“At least tell us your name,” Rantaro said. “Shuichi and I are trying to meet everyone.”

“Shuichi...is that your name?” the girl asked, turning her attention to the boy who wasn’t speaking.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective.” Shuichi nodded, offering a full introduction to save time later. 

“We just met each other,” Rantaro explained. “We woke up in the same classroom, so now we’re trying to get some answers. We’re pretty confused about this whole situation.”

“You confused too?!” the girl exclaimed. “I feel exactly the same! I woke up by myself in the library, down in the basement. You’re the first people I’ve run into.”

Shuichi made a mental note that there was a library down in the basement. Perhaps it wasn’t as dangerous as he’d presumed it to be.

“What’s your name?” Rantaro asked. “I’m Rantaro Amami, by the way.”

“My name is Kaede Akamatsu,” Kaede revealed. She seemed to have loosened up, looking less embarrassed to be standing in the boys’ bathroom. “It’s nice to meet you both. I’m sorry for screaming at you. It’s just a little scary being told that everyone is a criminal and then finding yourself alone with two strangers in a bathroom.”

“It’s fine, anyone can make that mistake,” Rantaro said.

“Kaede, do you remember how you got here?” Shuichi asked, changing the subject to gather intel. “To the academy, I mean.”

“Not really,” Kaede replied. “My head doesn’t feel right, I think it’s why I feel so sick…”

She did look rather pale.

“That’s three of us now who don’t remember how we got here,” Shuichi said.

“From what the Monokubs said, it sounds like we’ve all been arrested,” Kaede remarked. “But I would never commit a crime, that isn’t me at all! I spend nearly all of my time at my piano.”

“The piano?” Shuichi repeated, unsure what she was getting at.

“Oh, that reminds me, I haven’t told you my Ultimate talent,” Kaede said with a smile, looking proud. “I’m the Ultimate Pianist.”

“Woah, that’s cool,” Rantaro said. “If there’s a music room here, you’ll have to play us something.”

“I’d love to!” Kaede exclaimed with passion. “Nothing makes me happier than playing the piano. I’d probably feel a lot calmer about this entire situation if I had one to play now…” she let out a sigh, her shoulders drooping.

“I’m sure you can find one,” Shuichi said. "This seems like a rather big school." 

“I feel a little jealous hearing you talk about your talent.” Rantaro laughed awkwardly. 

“You don’t like yours?” Kaede looked at Rantaro in surprise.

“Ah...no. I can’t remember what mine is.” Rantaro admitted. “I mean, I must have one or I wouldn’t be here, but I couldn’t tell you what it is.”

“Hmmm, that’s strange.” Kaede pondered. “Maybe your talent is related to a crime? I mean, if all memories related to our crimes have been taken, then perhaps that’s why you don’t know.”

“Huh, now there's a thought…” Rantaro remarked.

It would make sense as to why Rantaro couldn’t remember anything, but being the Ultimate Bank Robber or Ultimate Murderer seemed a little far-fetched. Shuichi wasn’t sure that he believed it.

“Anyway, we should probably get going.” Rantaro brought their conversation to an end. “The three of us hanging in the boys’ bathroom is a bit strange…”

“Would you like to come with us, Kaede?” Shuichi asked. “We’re going to try and find the other Ultimates and learn more about this place. It seems like a good way to spend our time before we can meet the Headmaster.”

Kaede accepted his offer straight away. “I was thinking of having a look around and I’d rather not go alone.” it seemed that she had already developed some trust in the boys, despite the bad first impression. 

“Yeah, stick with us.” Rantaro encouraged.

“I really hope no one sees me coming out of here…” Kaede stressed, heading for the door.

Luckily, there was still nobody around, so the trio left the bathroom unnoticed.

“We should probably check the girls’ bathroom, whilst we’re here,” Shuichi said. As he had mentioned before, no stone should ever be left unturned. 

“But...you can’t go inside there!” Kaede gasped.

“We’re not all like you, Kaede.” Rantaro grinned.

“Hey!” Kaede protested although she was smiling. “I can go inside and check it out if you like?”

“Yes, please,” Shuichi said. It saved him the embarrassment in case there were any girls inside.

Kaede was in and out of the bathroom in twenty seconds, eager to report back to the boys. “Nobody was in there, it was completely empty." 

With the bathrooms offering nothing of interest, the newly formed trio continued on with their journey. The next room they came to was the dining hall, which was bright and spacious, although still overgrown with dead plants. Shuichi couldn't help but feel concerned to see the dining hall filled with weeds. Surely, it was against hygiene regulations. What if there were rats in the kitchen?! Despite his worries, Shuichi liked the atmosphere of the dining hall. It didn't feel so dark and heavy compared to the classroom and the hallways. That being said, the dining hall was filled with chaos. 

“Degenerate male!” a girl, with two long plaits, was busy shouting at a boy with purple hair. “How could leave a girl all alone in a classroom when she’s surrounded by criminals?!”

“I had to leave!” the boy protested. “She kept accusing me of looking at her chest!"

"Disgusting!" the girl spat. 

"Well obviously it wasn't true!" the boy cried. 

“Don’t bother lying," the girl looked like she was going to kill him at any second. "All degenerate males are dirty pervs.” 

There was a third person in the room, another girl, who was dressed from head to toe in red and black. She had two long pigtails, which fell down to her ankles. She was leaning against the dining table, appearing zoned out and uninterested in the argument that the other two were having.

“...Hey everyone.” Kaede tried to lighten the mood by greeting everyone with a friendly smile. “I’m Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. It’s nice to meet you all.”

The three new faces stopped what they were doing, taking a moment to study those who had just entered the room. The girl who had been shouting returned Kaede’s very friendly smile.

“Nice to meet you, Kaede!” the girl said, expressing plenty of enthusiasm. “I’m Tenko Chabashira, the Ultimate Aikido Master!”

“Aikido? Wow, that sounds like an amazing talent.” Kaede was full of admiration. 

“Why don’t I show you some of my moves on Kaito here?” Tenko said. “Heeeeyaaaahh!” she grabbed the boy by the hand and wrist locked him. “This is a wrist lock, one of the basic techniques in Neo Aikido.”

“Owww!” Kaito cried out in pain.

“What’s Neo Aikido?” Shuichi asked, eyeing up Kaito in concern.

“Boys are so uneducated.” Tenko huffed. “Neo Aikido is a form of Aikido that I invented with my master.”

Shuichi didn’t understand how he was supposed to know of something that she had made up, but he wasn’t going to point that out.

“Get off me!” Kaito complained, trying to pull free from Tenko.

Not one to be cruel, Tenko let go.

Rantaro laughed, a little nervously. “You sure seem strong!”

Shuichi looked at the boy with purple hair who was rubbing his wrist. “I take it that you’re Kaito?”

“That’s right!” Kaito said. “My name is Kaito Momota, luminary of the stars,” he spoke his title with pride. “I’m the Ultimate Astronaut! Cool, right?”

“You’ve been to space? That is pretty impressive.” Rantaro agreed.

“Ah, well actually I’m still in training, so I haven’t been to space yet,” Kaito admitted, although he didn’t sound defeated. “But my training is almost over, so I’ll be in space in no time!”

Kaito was smiling from ear to ear, but his bubble was quickly burst. The third person in the room, the one yet to speak, finally opened her mouth with something critical to say. “You do realise you’re in prison, don’t you?”

“Huh?” Kaito turned to her in confusion, having missed what she had said.

“How are you going to return to your training if we’re in prison?” the girl repeated her point with a stern face.

“Well…” Kaito held his smile. “We don’t know if this whole prison thing is true yet. There’s no point being so negative, cuz it’ll just make us all feel worse.”

“Leading yourself on with false hope isn’t any better.” the girl retorted. “I highly doubt that this is some elaborate prank.”

Shuichi could see that things were beginning to get heated, so he jumped in to steer the situation away from any drama. “Who are you?”

The girl looked irritated that she was being spoken to. “I’m Maki Harukawa.”

“And what’s your talent?” Kaede joined in with the questions.

“Am I being interrogated already?!” Maki sighed. “I’m the Ultimate Child Caregiver.” she seemed disinterested in answering Kaede’s question.

Shuichi almost asked her the question again, because he thought his ears had misheard her. Maki came across as rather cold and irritated, which didn’t seem like the best attitude to have when working with children. Shuichi told himself that he was being too quick to judge.

“What does that mean?” Shuichi decided to find out more about her talent in order to gain a fairer opinion of her.

“I care for children, it’s rather obvious,” Maki said bluntly.

“Oh...right,” Shuichi said, unsure how to respond. “I was just wonder-”

Maki cut him short. “Perhaps you should stop asking questions and tell us who you are.” she was staring at Shuichi and Rantaro, who had yet to introduce themselves.

“Uh, well, I’m Shuichi Saihara,” Shuichi said, feeling under pressure to give his introduction. “I’m the Ultimate Detective.”

“And I’m Rantaro Amami.” Rantaro joined in. “But, I don’t remember what my Ultimate talent is at the moment.”

“A detective, huh?” Kaito appeared interested. “Have you discovered what’s going on with this place yet?”

“No, I’m trying to gather information at the moment,” Shuichi explained. “Did you all wake up in here? Do you remember anything?”

“Na, I woke up on the second floor.” Kaito shook his head. “I was in a classroom with this inventor chick.”

“She isn’t a baby bird, she has a name.” Tenko scowled.

“We never got a chance to exchange names!” Kaito protested. “She just kept giving me abuse and accusing me of looking at her cleavage. I got out of there to try and find some normal people, but Maki doesn’t talk and Tenko’s trying to kill me.”

Shuichi pieced their story together. Maki and Tenko had woken up together in the dining hall. Kaito had woken up on the second floor, in a classroom with the Ultimate Inventor. She and Kaito had argued, so he left her behind and ended up finding his way to the dining hall. However, Tenko was unimpressed at Kaito for leaving a girl on her own, so they were also fighting.

“Well...we better go and look for the others.” Shuichi wanted out of the dining hall; there was too much drama for his liking.

“Did anyone else wanna come?” Rantaro offered.

“No,” Maki said coldly, offering no reasoning behind her decision.

“I don’t think I can handle meeting anyone else right now.” Kaito sighed. “This place is full of crazy people.”

“Heyyyyyahhhh!” Tenko launched at Kaito again.

“I think that’s our cue to leave…” Kaede gulped.

They left the dining hall, standing outside for a moment, to process what had just happened. The interaction was certainly intense.

Directly across the hall was a warehouse, which is where the trio chose to visit next. Stepping inside, Shuichi was shocked by the endless number of different products that he could see. The warehouse was stocked up from floor to ceiling, filled with supplies for any occasion. There really seemed to be everything from toilet rolls to javelins. Admiring a stash of toothbrushes was a girl dressed in a Maid's uniform. Did her outfit relate to her talent, perhaps? 

Having heard them enter the room, the girl looked across at the trio, greeting them with a kind smile. Things were already off to a better start compared to the dining hall. “Hello there.”

“Hi!” Kaede introduced herself first. “We’re making our way around the academy to meet everyone. I’m Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. That’s Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective. And that’s Rantaro Amami, who doesn’t remember his talent at the moment.” she pointed respectively at who she had been talking about.

“Well, that is certainly a lot to take in.” the girl smiled. “I’m Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid. Please know, that I am at your service.”

Kirumi’s attire reflected her talent after all.

“Our service?” Shuichi repeated.

“As the Ultimate Maid, I can perform any service that you so desire. From cooking to cleaning to full body massages.” Kirumi offered. “Please do not hesitate to ask.”

It sounded impressive, although Shuichi couldn’t imagine anything more painfully awkward than asking Kirumi for a full body massage. Tenko would probably accuse him of being a perv, and he wouldn’t blame her.

“There’s so much stuff in here,” Rantaro observed, glancing around. “I’ve seen grocery stores with less stock than this…”

“This warehouse is certainly fully stocked.” Kirumi agreed. “It will make our lives here far more comfortable.”

“You really think we’re going to be in here for a long time?” Rantaro raised his eyebrows.

“Does this room not speak for itself?” Kirumi replied. “Of course, I could be wrong, and this is all for a decorative purpose, but that seems unlikely.”

Shuichi was in agreement with Kirumi. The warehouse looked like it had been stocked up for an apocalypse, which had to mean something. Whoever was responsible for the academy was prepared, that was for sure. There would be no need for such an excessive intake of items if the students were only going to be in the academy for five minutes. However, Shuichi really hoped he wouldn’t be sticking around long enough to need any supplies or to ask Kirumi for requests.

They spoke with Kirumi to see if she had any information to offer, but she was no different to anyone else. Like everybody they had met, Kirumi’s memories were a blur and she perceived herself to be innocent of any crimes.

Kirumi was left behind in the warehouse and the trio carried on with their adventure. The next door they tried to open was for the school store. Unfortunately, the door was locked, so they had no choice but to carry on with their journey. They walked all the way along to the gym, passing another locked door on their way, but much to their frustration, the gymnasium wasn’t open either.

"It's starting to feel like every door that we come to is locked." Kaede sighed. 

"So much for being able to freely explore the academy," Rantaro remarked.

“The Headmaster must still be setting up,” Shuichi replied. “I suppose they don’t want any of us going inside before we’re welcome.”

There were a series of lockers outside of the gymnasium, clearly labelled with the students' names. It made everything seem so real. 

With the majority of the first floor off limits, the trio wandered upstairs to the second floor, to see what they could find. On the upstairs landing, they found three doors. Two of the doors were labelled as classrooms, whilst the third offered a music room - as shown by the illustration of a piano painted on the door.

Kaede headed for the piano door immediately, a smile instantly forming on her face. “Ooh, this must be a music room!” she reached for the handle, but the door wouldn’t open. “This one is locked too! Really?!” her smile quickly faded. 

Before either of the boys had a chance to reply, a familiar chirpy choir of voices interrupted them.

“Rise and Shine ursine!”

As if appearing from thin air, five colourful bears were suddenly at their feet. Shuichi recognised them instantly, as they were the first thing he had seen upon waking up in the dreadful academy just half an hour ago. Seeing them in person was incredibly disturbing. It felt jarring to his reality. 

“Ahhhh!” Kaede and Shuichi screamed in unison.

“What the-” Rantaro jumped on the spot.

“Ahhhhhh!” Monotaro began to scream as well.

Monosuke thumped him, hard. “Why are youse screamin’?”

“Oh, right.” Monotaro stopped at once, realising his own stupidity. 

The Monokubs sounded exactly the same as they did on screen. 

“I thought they were animated!” Rantaro exclaimed.

“They must be robots.” Kaede insisted.

“Well obviously we’re robots,” Monosuke said. “But we’re still much smarter and more powerful than youse, so don’t look down on us any.”

The Monokubs were small, barely reaching Shuichi’s ankles, but there was still something exceptionally creepy about them. 

“We’re here to give you some information since you’re trying to enter a room that’s locked,” Monophanie explained. “This is an Ultimate Research Lab. Sixteen of them have been specially designed for you to work on your talents.”

“Ah, that makes sense…” Shuichi muttered. “In your original message, you mention that we're here to focus on our talents.”

“That’s right!” Monotaro said. “These rooms come equipped with everything you’re gonna need to develop those amazing talents of yours.”

“So, this must be my lab,” Kaede concluded.

“Maybe my research lab will help me remember my talent,” Rantaro said, his eyes lighting up with hope.

“Don’t be too fuckin’ eager, most of the labs are still hidden,” Monokid informed them.

“Why?” Shuichi frowned.

“To make things more interestin’, of course,” Monosuke replied. “There are two labs available right now, although they’re both locked, cuz we’re still settin’ up.”

Kaede sighed. “I guess I’ll have to wait until later before I can play the piano then.”

“Well, if that’s all-” Monotaro was about to leave. However, Shuichi quickly stopped him.

“Wait!” Shuichi exclaimed. “I have some questions."

"Of course ya fuckin' do." Monokid huffed. "Get on with it..." 

Despite the rude response, Shuichi persisted. "Why don’t we have our memories?”

“The Detective is at it already.” Monosuke scoffed, sounding irritated. 

“We already told you why you don’t have your memories,” Monotaro replied. “We can’t have a bunch of serial killers and dangerous people running around here, or you’d all start killing each other."

"Daddy has always hated bloodbath killing games," Monophanie added. "They’re over too quick.”

“Daddy?!” Kaede exclaimed, a confused expression on her face.

“...Killing Games?” Rantaro repeated.

“Shut up, you idiot!” Monokid stamped down hard on Monophanie's foot.

“Owwww.” Monophanie cried.

“I thought you were robots…” Shuichi raised his eyebrows. “Do you even feel pain?”

“It’s for dramatic effect,” Monophanie explained.

“If I don’t remember my talent,” Rantaro spoke up. “Does that mean its connected to my criminal past? Or is there another explanation?”

“Oh, I was hoping you wouldn’t ask about that…” Monophanie lowered her head. “We were in charge of wiping your memories, but we got a little carried away and cleared too many of yours, Rantaro. It seems that you’ve lost memories of your Ultimate Talent as a result.”

“If you were in charge of wiping our memories, then surely you know what Rantaro’s talent is?” Kaede put forward.

“Of course we do,” Monosuke replied.

“Well, can’t you just tell him what his talent is then?” Kaede persisted.

Monodam spoke up for the first time, uttering one word. “NO.”

“No?!” Kaede repeated. “That doesn’t seem very fair, especially since it’s your fault he's forgotten his talent in the first place.”

“Unless youse got the memory erasing insurance, we can’t tell youse that,” Monosuke said.

“I don’t know anything about insurance.” Rantaro frowned.

“Then there isn’t anything we can do,” Monophanie said.

“Too fuckin’ bad!” Monokid laughed cruelly.

“But you said we’re in here to develop our talents!” Kaede wouldn’t back down. “If Rantaro doesn’t remember his, then how is he supposed to do anything?”

“If you’re so talented, figure that out yourselves,” Monokid responded rudely. “Lazy fuckin’ assholes.”

“I don’t think we’re the lazy ones here.” Kaede scowled.

“Don’t waste your time on them, Kaede.” Shuichi sighed. He decided to ask his final question before the Kubs ran off. “How long are we supposed to be in here? In the academy, I mean.”

“...” Monodam was silent.

“...” Monophanie was silent.

“...” Monotaro was silent.

“...” Monokid was silent.

“...” Monosuke was silent.

“Someone?” Shuichi looked at their faces one by one, hoping for an answer.

“You should probably wait until you’ve spoken to the Headmaster before asking that question…” Monotaro replied. “We can’t talk about it.”

“It’s probably for the best that we wait, Shuichi,” Rantaro said wisely. “I don’t trust anything the Monokubs have to say anymore.”

Rantaro was right. The Monokubs were pretty useless, so the students were only wasting their own time by talking to them.

Turning their backs to the Monokubs, the trio ventured into the classroom closest to them, labelled 2C. The classroom was practically identical to the one Shuichi had woken up in, with only some minor differences, such as the number of weeds. Lingering by one of the desks was a girl dressed in pink, with a rather interesting pair of goggles strapped to her head. 

“Hey!” Rantaro was the first to speak. “I’m Ranta-”

“Did I ask?” the girl replied, rudely. “I don’t give two shits who you bunch of virgins are. I’ve got better things to be doing.”

“Really? You seem to just be standing there…” Shuichi pointed out.

“So you’ve been stalkin’ me, huh?” the girl growled. “I can tell from your creepy eyes and sweaty hands that you’re one of those guys. Lemme guess you don’t get up from your computer without deleting your history first?”

“Huh?” Shuichi gasped, horrified at the accusation. “T-that’s not true at all!” he didn’t want Rantaro and Kaede to get the wrong impression of him.

Kaede studied the girl for a moment. “I’m guessing that you’re the Ultimate Inventor?” she seemed to have pieced together the girl’s identity from the description Kaito gave earlier. This girl seemed as rude as the one Kaito had described.

“Ha, that’s me alright.” given the opportunity to brag, the Ultimate Inventor temporarily stopped insulting everyone. “I’m Miu Iruma, the gorgeous, blonde, girl genius, with the biggest rack you’ll ever see.”

“I doubt that you can really claim the last part as a fact…” Shuichi remarked. He said it quietly, under his breath, but his comment hadn’t escaped Miu’s sharp hearing.

“Oh, of course, you’d say that.” Miu rolled her eyes. “With the amount of porn you watch, your eyes must be numb to the sight of boobs by now.”

“No! That’s not what I meant, I-” incredibly flustered, Shuichi tried to defend himself. His cheeks were turning redder by the second. He could see why Kaito had left Miu at the first opportunity.

To save Shuichi from further embarrassment, Rantaro jumped in and continued on with the introduction that he’d been trying to deliver earlier. It was obvious that Miu didn’t care in the slightest, but Rantaro gave all of their names and talents anyway. He spoke quickly before Miu cut him off.

“Sooo, we’ve got a penis player, Sherlock Holmes, and a stupid virgin who doesn’t remember his talent.” Miu reflected. “What a bunch of useless cocksuckers.”

“Um, I’m a piano player…” Kaede corrected her.

“Whatever.” Miu shrugged. “You guys must’ve met that annoying astronaut then.”

“Kaito? Yeah, we met him.” Rantaro nodded.

“I dunno what he’s called," Miu said. "I never bothered to find out his name." 

“He did mention that he didn’t stay with you for long,” Kaede said, choosing her words carefully.

“He couldn’t handle being around a gorgeous girl genius like myself.” Miu bragged, thinking highly of herself. “He kept staring at my luscious boobs, and couldn’t handle it when I called him a perv. I would tell you to watch out Kaede, but it seems like you’re pretty lacking in that department, so I wouldn’t worry.”

Kaede just scowled.

“You seem to think a lot of people are pervs.” Shuichi frowned. “Are you sure you aren’t just bad at reading body language?”

“Look at Pooichi defending all of the pervs!” Miu exclaimed. “It’s not surprising, cuz you’re one yourself. Only a fuckin’ creepy perv would wear a hat like yours, so people can’t see where those nasty eyes of yours are lookin’.”

Shuichi couldn’t take it any more; Miu had really crossed the line. He had only been in her company for five minutes, but it was safe to say that she a vile person. Her comments were starting to get to him and he refused to take it any longer. Speaking very calmly, Shuichi uttered three simple words. “Cut. It. Out.” his expression was so deadly serious, that it gave his words a lot of weight.

“H-huh?” Miu was caught off guard by Shuichi’s suddenly serious tone. She cowered in on herself instantly.

“Can you stop judging everyone for two seconds?!” Shuichi ranted. “It’s my choice if I want to wear a hat. Nobody asked for your opinion and I don’t wish to hear it again.”

Shuichi watched Kaede’s eyes widen, whilst Rantaro smirked, pleased that someone had stood up to Miu.

“Eeeek!” Miu squealed, suddenly softening. Almost afraid of Shuichi, she was shaking. “W-why are you so angry at me?”

Shuichi decided not to issue her with a response; he didn’t have to explain himself to Miu. He’d rather spend his time meeting the other students, who were hopefully a lot nicer. "I think we should get going, there are other places to explore.”

“Let’s go.” Kaede nodded, happy to escape from Miu also.

“W-wait!” Miu called after them. “W-where are you going?”

No one bothered to issue her with a response. 

The three of them returned to the hallway, watching the door shut until Miu disappeared from sight. Shuichi was relieved that she hadn’t followed them. If they were going to be in the academy for a while, Miu was someone he planned on keeping some distance with.

“She was certainly...” Kaede hesitated, attempting to find an appropriate word to finish her sentence.

“Vulgar.” Rantaro filled in the blank.

"That sounds about right." Kaede giggled. "Oh, Shuichi, are you okay? Her comments were out of order." 

It was clear that Shuichi had been bothered by Miu’s remarks, especially when she mentioned his hat.

“I’m fine,” Shuichi replied, refusing to share any more than that. It was a rather private situation, which he didn’t wish to talk about. “Let’s just keep going. I don't want to think about her anymore." 

“I hope whoever we meet next is normal…” Rantaro said as he opened the door to Classroom 2B. Unfortunately, Rantaro was asking for a little too much.

There were two people inside Classroom 2B: a boy and a girl. They were each sitting on a desk, ignoring the chairs in favour of having their feet up on the table is a crossed leg position. The girl was humming a melodious tune, with an art scalpel in her hand. She moved the sharp blade towards the boy, whose arm was outstretched in waiting. Although the boy’s arm was covered in bandages, the blade looked sharp enough to cut through.

It didn’t take Shuichi long to understand what was going on. Before anyone got hurt, he hurriedly made his presence known. “S-stop!”

The girl turned to face him. “Ah, would you like to be part of the sacrifice too? Come and take a seat.”

“S-sacrifice?” Kaede gulped.

“Yes, this is a blood sacrifice for Atua, or a donation, if you will.” the girl replied with a smile. “We need blood to keep Atua happy and well. Korekiyo here has already volunteered himself, but the more blood, the better.”

Korekiyo, as he had been called, turned to face the students. “I have never heard of Atua before, and I do not believe in Gods, but I could not pass up on the chance to take part in such an interesting sacrifice. I am fascinated to find out the elements of this ritual.”

Shuichi couldn’t help but shudder, there was something about Korekiyo which gave him the creeps. Not only was his voice haunting, but who would volunteer to donate their blood to a stranger? 

“Who exactly is Atua?” Rantaro asked.

“Atua is the God of my island.” the girl explained. “He always speaks to me with his divine voice.”

“Maybe the blood sacrifice could wait for now…?” Kaede proposed. “We could get to know each other instead.”

“Atua is willing to delay the sacrifice since he is an understanding God.” the girl said. “I am Angie Yonaga, the Ultimate Artist.”

It now made sense why Angie had an art scalpel in the first place.

“What about you?” Rantaro gestured for the bandaged boy to speak, even though his first had name had already been revealed.

“My name is Korekiyo Shinguji.” Korekiyo introduced himself. “I earned the title of the Ultimate Anthropologist.”

“Anthropology?” Shuichi repeated. It wasn’t a talent that he had been expecting to hear.

“Ah, why don’t I explain.” Korekiyo offered. “Anthropology is the study of customs, legends, folk tales, songs, and so much more.”

“Oh, I see.” Shuichi nodded. “So that must be why you wanted to take part in Angie’s blood sacrifice.”

“Exactly,” Korekiyo replied. “Learning of new customs and culture is especially exciting to me. I enjoy nothing more than to study humanity and all of its beauty.”

Shuichi felt guilty to continue judging Korekiyo, but he was only getting creepier. “I don’t know if I’d consider a blood sacrifice beautiful…”

“All of humanity is beautiful, even the ugly parts.” Korekiyo went on. “Venturing outside of your own culture is something that everyone should experience.”

Shuichi didn’t care what Korekiyo was saying; he wasn’t about to offer up his wrist for Angie’s imaginary God. Before things went too far, and he was forced to join, Shuichi decided to introduce himself. “I’m Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective.” he still viewed himself as more of an apprentice, but it was too much effort to explain this story to every single person that he met.

Rantaro spoke next, giving his name and explaining his amnesia to Angie and Korekiyo. Kaede followed after him, with a short but sweet introduction. They then went on to discuss the pressing issue at hand. 

“Have you two met any other students yet?” Shuichi asked, gathering intel.

“We have not,” Korekiyo replied. “As we have not yet ventured outside of this classroom." 

“Really?!” Kaede exclaimed. “Don’t you want to look around and find out what’s going on?”

"You mean in regards to this rather interesting situation of ours?" Korekiyo said. 

“Yes.” Kaede pressed.

“I told Korekiyo not to worry,” Angie joined in. “I have spoken to Atua and everything is going to be okay.”

"Atua said that?..." Rantaro appeared doubtful. 

“Atua insists that we are here by accident!" Angie replied, exceptionally cheerful. "We are not prisoners or criminals. This is all a bigggg misunderstanding and we will be free in no time!”

Shuichi wished that were the case, but he wasn't about to trust the words of a fictional God. Angie didn't seem worried at all, so perhaps Atua's words were true to her, but Shuichi couldn't accept her statement as the truth. If he was gullible enough to believe in anything remotely positive, just because it's what he wanted to hear, he wouldn’t have made it far as a detective.

“Korekiyo, are you not worried either?” Shuichi decided to see if Korekiyo believed in what Angie had to say. After all, Korekiyo had been the first to admit that he didn't believe in Gods. 

“Kehehe, time will only tell.” Korekiyo gave a rather ominous laugh.

If Shuichi wanted answers, then this wasn’t the place. Angie had already made up her mind that everything was going to be okay, and Korekiyo didn’t seem to care, even if it wasn’t. They seemed like nice enough people, certainly better than Miu, but Shuichi was a little uneasy in their company and wanted to leave.

The trio bid goodbye to their new classmates, returning back to the hallway before they got roped into the sacrifice. Shuichi wasn't sure how many more Ultimate students he could meet. There were certainly some characters. He couldn't help but wonder how he was coming across to those he had met. 

Having covered the first and second floors, it was finally time to inspect the basement. The basement still looked ominous, with much weaker lighting than the rest of the school, due to the lack of natural light. However, Shuichi told himself not to be afraid. Kaede had woken up in the basement and she was fine, so it wasn’t like there was a torture chamber down there. Truthfully, Shuichi was probably safer in the basement than in the classroom where Angie’s ritual was taking place.

They ventured into the library first, revisiting where Kaede had woken up. The library was by far the biggest room Shuichi had seen in the academy. Wherever he looked, all he could see was books. They were overflowing the shelves, as high as the ceiling, and stacked up in piles on the floor too. Unfortunately, the smell of musty books was overpowering and offensive to Shuichi's nostrils. There were no windows inside the library, preventing any fresh air from reaching the confined space. 

"It's still empty in here," Kaede said. "I wonder where the other students are." 

“The smell is enough to turn people away,” Rantaro remarked, pinching his nose to block out the smell.

If Shuichi had been listening, he would have joined in with their conversation, but something else had caught his attention. The cause of Shuichi's distraction was a bookshelf to his left. Compared to the other shelves, something about this one was...off. Every single bookshelf, except this one, had books stacked on top of it. Why was just one shelf empty on top, when there were still piles of books dumped on the floor? There had to be a reason, as it didn't make sense to randomly leave the top of one bookshelf alone. Shuichi wanted to investigate further, but he couldn't with Rantaro and Kaede in the room. He made a mental note to return later when he could study the shelf in private. 

With no one to speak to, the students left the library through a sliding door, eager to escape the smell of the books. They found themselves in a different section of the basement, facing another sliding door. Rantaro tried to open the door, but it would only slide open a few inches. The door wasn't locked, but it was jammed, preventing them from entering. Moving on, they were forced to go the long way around to another door. 

This room was of particular excitement to the students, as it was filled with arcade machines. A gaming room was not what Shuichi had expected to find in the basement of a deserted academy, but he wasn't going to complain. If they really were going to be at the Ultimate Academy for a long time, then at least there was something to keep them entertained. More importantly than the machines, there were two girls waiting to speak to them: one familiar and the other not so. 

“Tenko!” Shuichi exclaimed, surprised to see her again so soon. “I didn't know you'd left the dining hall." 

Tenko frowned. “Did you expect me to stay in the kitchen because I’m a woman?”

For a second, Shuichi thought that Tenko was making a joke, but her expression was deadly serious. "W-what? N-no! I just thought you were busy with Kaito and practising your Neo-Aikido." he attempted to redeem himself.

“I’m not wasting any more of my time on degenerate males.” Tenko scoffed. “I decided to look around the school and find all of the girls instead. Hi again, Kaede!” she waved.

“Hi!” Kaede waved back.

Shuichi turned to face the girl that he didn’t recognise. She was a lot smaller than Tenko, with dark red hair and a witch’s hat. “We haven’t met before." 

“Are you a witch?” Rantaro asked, butting in.

“No...not a witch.” the girl shook her head, speaking slowly. “I’m a Mage.”

“Isn’t that a witch?” Rantaro’s frowned, looking puzzled. 

“Men are so ignorant!” Tenko groaned.

Kaede jumped in. "So, is that your Ultimate Talent?" 

“Well...I’m technically called the Ultimate Magician,” the girl admitted. “But I’m really a Mage.”

“Magic is pretty cool,” Kaede admired. “You’ll have to show us a trick.”

“I don’t perform tricks, I perform real magic!” the girl insisted, taking some offence to Kaede's comment.

“Himiko has been telling me about all the magic that she can do!” Tenko praised. “And just now, she made a coin appear from behind my ear!”

It sounded like something nearly anyone could do, but Shuichi wasn’t one to be rude, especially not with Tenko nearby. He didn’t fancy the same fate as Kaito. “Ah, so you’re Himiko then.”

On cue, the introductions were given. Shuichi found himself talking to Himiko Yumeno. Tenko waited patiently as Himiko was introduced to three new friends and their talents.

“Have you explored much of the academy yet, Himiko?" Kaede asked. 

“Not really…it’s too much effort.” Himiko sighed. “I did try opening that door though,” she pointed behind her, to a sliding door within the gaming room. “But it’s locked.”

Shuichi studied the door that Himiko had pointed to. Given its positioning, it probably led to the same room as the other sliding door that was jammed. Shuichi couldn't help but wonder what was inside.

“Hey, Himiko!” Tenko spoke up. “Can you make a coin appear from behind Kaede’s ear?” she was blushing a little.

Kaede bent her knees so it was easier for Himiko to reach her ear. She smiled along as Himiko made a coin appear from behind her ear as if it had appeared from thin air.

“Ahhhh!” Tenko squealed. “Wasn’t that the best?! Himiko, you’re sooooo cute!”

“Meh, that was nothing.” Himiko shrugged, humbly. 

Shuichi was glad to hear that it wasn’t her best trick. With the title of the Ultimate Magician, he had been hoping to see something a little more spectacular. 

It was easy to get sidetracked in conversation, but Shuichi had to stay focused. His goal was to find out what was going on. He had been fishing around, asking those he had met about their memories, but no one had anything new to say.

“Ooo, Himiko, maybe you could use your magic to bring back our memories?” Tenko suggested.

“Nyeh, that would take a very long time," Himiko said. "I would need a lot of strong magic." 

“Could you at least help Rantaro remember his talent?” Kaede asked.

“Himiko shouldn’t have to waste her magic on helping Degenerates!” Tenko scowled.

Their conversation quickly sidetracked from talking about their situation to Himiko’s skillset. Had this been during a normal school day, Shuichi would have happily listened, but things were too uncertain right now to waste time on unnecessary conversations. The trio left, almost unnoticed, and Tenko seemed happy to be alone with her new friend.

Meeting some of the other Ultimate students had only left Shuichi feeling more puzzled. Although some of them were a bit intimidating, the majority of the students seemed like sweet people. They were hardly who Shuichi expected to meet in a school for criminals. He couldn't imagine any of them committing serious crimes. What was the truth?

Everything there was to see within the academy had been explored, so the trio headed for the big double doors at the front of the academy. 

“Where do you think this goes?” Shuichi pondered.

“Outside, maybe?” Rantaro suggested.

“I thought we were supposed to be prisoners,” Kaede reminded them. “Surely, we can’t just leave.”

“I never said this is an exit,” Rantaro clarified. “Maybe it’s a courtyard or something.”

“There’s only one way to find out, I guess,” Kaede said, opening the doors.

Stepping outside, they were greeted by bright sunlight. Shuichi had to put his hand up to his eyes to protect them. Sure enough, waiting through the double doors was the big wide world. Maybe Angie was right and this was a big misunderstanding after all. All he could see ahead of him was greeny and path which possibly led to freedom. Shuichi picked up the pace, walking as quickly as he could. However, with the sun no longer in his eyes, Shuichi could see things properly and realised that this wasn't freedom at all. A giant wall surrounded the academy, it was if they were trapped in a birdcage. Shuichi felt his heart sink.

Finding himself in a cage was bad enough, but things quickly took a turn for the worse. Not much further in front of them, a boy had collapsed on the ground, lying face down on the floor. 

“I think he’s fainted!” Kaede exclaimed, hurrying to the boy's side. 

It didn’t look good. Perhaps the shock of the birdcage had caused him to pass out.

Rantaro had a suggestion. "Where are the Monokubs? Maybe they can help." 

"That's a good idea," Shuichi agreed. "They might be able to get the Headmaster. Or maybe there's a school nurse." 

"Hmmm?" a fourth, and unfamiliar, voice spoke up. 

The boy began to move, pushing himself up from the floor. “Who collapse?” as the boy stood up, Shuichi realised how tall he was, with crazy wild hair.

“Y-you did,” Kaede looked uncertain. “Or, so I thought…” 

“Gonta not collapse.” the boy replied.

“But you were on the floor,” Rantaro pointed out.

“Oh! Gonta looking for bugs.” Gonta began to laugh. “Gonta not in trouble!”

"You were looking for bugs...on the floor?" Shuichi raised his brow. "Can I ask why?" 

At a hater of bugs himself, Shuichi would never understand anybody who chose to spend their spare time searching for them - especially given their current circumstances. Why was Gonta wasting his time like this? Shouldn't he be exploring the academy or trying to find the other Ultimates? Bugs should be the least of Gonta's priorities. 

“Gonta loves bugs!” Gonta’s eyes lit up. “Gonta’s talent is Ultimate Entomologist.”

“Oh, so your talent relates to bugs,” Shuichi remarked. Things were beginning to make sense. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Kaede smiled. "I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist." 

“Thank you for speaking to Gonta!” Gonta smiled. “Oh, Gonta forgot an introduction! Gonta apologise! That is not right for a Gentleman.”

“It's okay, you don't need to apologise,” Kaede reassured him. “Your name is Gonta, right?”

“Gonta Gokuhara,” Gonta said warmly.

Gonta spoke in the third person, a strange quirk Shuichi had noticed.

"I'm Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective." Shuichi joined in. He was beginning to tire of saying his own name. 

"And I'm Rantaro Amami," Rantaro followed. "I'm having a bit of trouble remembering my talent at the moment." 

“Have you found any bugs yet?” Kaede asked, making polite conversation.

“W-what kinda bugs are you looking for exactly?” Shuichi asked, feeling the hairs on his neck rise. He hated bugs at the best of times, something about spiders and all of their legs especially creeped him out.

“Gonta looks for any bugs,” Gonta explained. “But there no bugs here.” he lowered his head in sadness.

“Phew.” Shuichi took a sigh of relief, without realising the damage of his actions.

“Shuichi not like bugs?!” Gonta’s smile vanished in seconds, his glare piercing and his body tense.

"Oh, I-" Shuichi tried to think of something to say, but he had been put on the spot. Gonta looked furious and he didn't want to trigger him further. 

Thankfully, Rantaro jumped to his rescue. “Ah, I think what Shuichi is trying to say, is that he’s glad there are no bugs right here in this spot. Otherwise, we might be treading on them. Right, Shuichi?”

“R-right…” Shuichi nodded, extremely grateful for Rantaro’s quick thinking. "I love bugs. I'd hate to be stepping on them!" 

“Ah, Shuichi is gentleman!” Gonta began to smile again. “Gonta like Shuichi, he cares for bugs.”

Shuichi knew from that moment on, he would never be able to panic if he saw a spider again. Upsetting Gonta did not look fun.

“Well Gonta, we’ll leave you to look for more bugs,” Kaede said. “We’re going to try and find the rest of the students here. It’s been nice speaking to you.”

Gonta gave a friendly wave, lowering himself to the floor again in pursuit of bug hunting. Shuichi waited until he was out of earshot before thanking Rantaro for his heroism.

“T-that was intense, thanks Rantaro,” Shuichi remarked. “I didn't expect Gonta to take it so personally, I thought most people hated bugs.”

“If they do, they obviously don’t let Gonta know.” Rantaro said.

Gonta seemed like a kind soul, but Shuichi was terrified to ever mention his hatred of bugs around him. Not to sound cruel, but Shuichi hoped that Gonta's search for bugs would remain unsuccessful. 

Continuing down the pathway, the trio came across a building, clearly labelled as the dormitories. It seemed like a sensible place to visit, so Rantaro went ahead and opened the door, holding it open for the other two. The dormitories consisted of two floors, with sixteen rooms divided evenly among them both. Each door was labelled with a different students' name: girls on the left and boys on the right. 

Sitting on the left staircase was a girl with vibrant blue hair. She appeared to be lost in her own world, staring off into space, not reacting to the three newcomers.

“Hey there!” Rantaro smiled.

There was still no reaction from the girl.

“Um, hello?” Kaede waved a gentle hand in front of the girls’ face, to capture her attention.

“Oh, are you talking to me?” the girl gasped, suddenly paying attention. “I’m very plain, so I didn’t think you’d even notice me.”

“It’s not like you’re camouflaged…” Rantaro quipped.

“I apologise, I’m used to people just ignoring me.” the girl said. “It’s because I’m so plain, you see.”

“So you’ve already said,” Shuichi said.

“I’m like a faceless protagonist in a video game!” the girl went on. “I don’t get many lines and people often forget that I exist.”

“Um, so who are you, anyway?” Shuichi wondered if she was ever going to stop talking about how plain she considered herself to be. 

"And what's your Ultimate Talent too?" Kaede added. 

“I’m Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer.” Tsumugi introduced herself.

“You’re a cosplayer?” Rantaro admired. “That’s pretty cool. Who have you cosplayed as?”

“Actually, these days I tend to make cosplays more than I wear them,” Tsumugi shared. “I love seeing others cosplaying as their favourite characters! Unless they’re doing it just to become popular. I only want to make cosplays for people who actually care about their favourite characters.”

Shuichi could see it in her eyes, Tsumugi spoke with passion.

“I have an online portfolio that I can show you,” Tsumugi went on, reaching into her blazer pocket. “Oh, that’s right...I don’t have my phone.”

It hadn’t even occurred to Shuichi that his own mobile phone was missing. Now that he thought about it, his wallet was gone too. Shuichi’s recent memories were a blur, so he had no way of knowing if these items had been taken from him. However, these were the belongings that he never left the house without - stirring a suspicion within him.

“But anyway, enough about plain old me,” Tsumugi said. “I don’t know your names yet.”

As quickly as possible they ran through their introductions. Tsumugi seemed most interested in the fact that Rantaro didn’t remember his talent.

“Hmm, maybe if I created some cosplays for you, it might help bring back your memory,” Tsumugi suggested. “Seeing yourself in a Chef’s hat, or a police uniform might help your brain.”

"I'm sure we can rule out that I'm not the Ultimate Police Officer," Rantaro laughed. "That's a bit too far-fetched for a high school student." 

With the introductions out of the way, Shuichi asked Tsumugi some questions about her own memory. Just like everyone else they had asked, Tsumugi’s memory was a mess and she couldn’t recall where she had been before waking up in the academy.

Rantaro nudged Shuichi, noting that their dorm rooms were next to each other. “It looks like we’re neighbours.”

“They expect us to sleep here?” Tsumugi remarked, looking around at the dormitories.

"I suppose so," Rantaro said. "But, I was expecting prison cells." 

“I don’t want to be here long enough to have to use one of these rooms.” Kaede shuddered. “I wish we could see the Headmaster already. This is taking ages.”

“He must be doing a lot of preparation!” Tsumugi exclaimed.

“I wonder why…” Shuichi muttered.

“Are you going to look inside the dormitories?” Tsumugi asked, returning to the original topic at hand.

"I don't plan on it, no," Kaede replied. "I don't wish to stay here." 

Shuichi wasn't sure if they had much choice in the matter, but he chose not to say anything. Until they had spoken to the Headmaster, everything was still up in the air, with no real way of knowing what fate awaited them. Perhaps they would get lucky, and Shuichi would be back in his own bed by nightfall, but this didn't seem very likely. 

Having decided they weren't going to explore the dormitories in further detail, the trio went on their way, saying goodbye to Tsumugi. There were still a few Ultimates left to meet; three if Shuichi had been counting correctly.

At the bottom of the garden, there was a red door, which the trio were heading towards. As they got closer, the door opened and a person stepped outside. It was a small boy, who closed the door behind him. He stood around, waiting to speak to the trio.

“If you’re thinking of going in there, I wouldn’t.” the short boy warned them.

Kaede’s eyes widened. “Is it dangerous in there?” 

“Sort of…” the boy replied. “There are two other students in there, but I wouldn’t be in any hurry to meet them if I were you.”

"Now I'm just intrigued," Rantaro admitted. 

"There's no exit in there if that's what you're looking for." the boy replied. 

"That's not really a surprise," Shuichi said. "It would be too easy." 

"At the moment we're just trying to meet everyone," Kaede explained. "This situation might feel a bit easier if everyone isn't considered a stranger. Do you mind giving us your name?" 

"Ryoma Hoshi." the boy said. 

“Ryoma Hoshi…” Shuichi stood deep in thought. “I...I recognise your name from somewhere. Maybe...maybe we knew each other before our memories were taken.”

“I recognise your name too!” Kaede gasped.

“Don’t get too excited; you haven’t uncovered a big clue,” Ryoma said, squashing their spirit. “You’ll know my name because you would’ve seen it on your television or in the newspapers. I went to prison." 

“Of course!” Rantaro snapped his fingers upon making the connection. “You’re Ryoma Hoshi, the once famous tennis player, responsible for killing an entire mafia organisation.”

"Oh, that's right. I remember hearing your story on the news," Kaede revealed. "I can't believe you had the power to take down the mafia." 

"That's because you've got the power of an Ultimate, right?" Rantaro asked. 

"I was once the Ultimate Tennis Pro, but that means nothing to me now." Ryoma shared. "I'm the ghost that Ryoma Hoshi left behind, an empty shell." 

"Hang on a second!" Shuichi exclaimed, coming to a sudden realisation. "I thought the Monokubs had erased all memories relating to our criminal pasts. We shouldn't be remembering this." 

"They've already spoken to me about it," Ryoma confessed. "Apparently this crime isn't related to the mafia incident."

"You're in here for...a different crime?" Shuichi asked. 

“Apparently so,” Ryoma said. "I don't see how that's possible, but it's what they said." 

"This doesn't seem very fair," Kaede frowned. "The Monokubs have automatically put you at a disadvantage. People might hold your past against you." 

Ryoma simply shrugged. "So what if they do? It's probably for their own best interest to stay away from me." 

Shuichi wasn't sure what to say, so out of sheer awkwardness, he went on to introduce himself. The timing felt inappropriate, but he had to introduce himself at some point. Ryoma listened politely, although he didn't have much to say. He reacted exactly the same as Kaede and Rantaro went on to speak. Rantaro acknowledged what they had to say, but went on his way as soon as the introductions were over.

With Ryoma gone, the trio continued on through the red door, ignoring the warning they had been given. Shuichi saw it as important to meet everyone, no matter what they were like. The room they found themselves in was labelled as 'The Shrine of Judgement'. It was like a garden, with fresh flowers everywhere Shuichi turned, with a hypnotically beautiful fountain taking up the centre of the room. The fountain was stunning, but there was something distracting from its beauty: a small boy, who was trying to push another boy into the fountain. 

“I wanna seeee!” the small boy begged, pushing the other with all of his might.

“S-stop it!” the other boy cried, fighting back. “I can’t get water in my system!”

“Are you guys okay?” Rantaro asked. He shot Shuichi a confused glance in secret. 

“P-please help me!” yelled the boy heading for a splash. “Someone stop him!”

“Why are you being so mean?” Kaede frowned at the small boy.

“Awwww now you’ve made me look mean!” the small boy stopped pushing and burst into tears on the spot. “Wahhhhhh. I only wanted to learn your weakness.”

“Oh, no...please don’t cry.” Kaede looked extremely uncomfortable. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset.” the boy stopped crying instantly, grinning from ear to ear. “That was a lie.”

"That was...confusing." Shuichi scratched his head through his hat. "Why were you trying to drown someone?"

“I wasn’t trying to drown him. I just wanted to see if he’s weak to water.” the boy explained. “If he touches it, will he just shut down?”

“Uh...I don’t think that’s possible…” Shuichi frowned.

“He’s a robot.” the boy added. "I should've said." 

Kaede gasped, turning to the boy in question. “You’re a robot?”

“Don’t look so surprised!” the alleged robot said. “Robots are becoming more common these days. It’s robophobic to assume otherwise.”

“Are you working with the Monokubs then?” Rantaro asked. “I thought we’d met the last two students, but I guess not.”

“The Monokubs?! I don’t work for them!” the robot cried, clearly offended. “I’m an Ultimate student, just like you.”

“What’s your talent?” Kaede asked.

“Nehehe, you’re going to love this.” the smaller boy smirked mischievously.

“I’m the Ultimate Robot.” the boy said. “My name is K1-B0, but please call me Keebo.”

“Ha, no surprises there I guess…” Rantaro said.

Shuichi didn’t realise that being the Ultimate Robot counted a talent. However, Keebo seemed very aware of people who were ‘robophobic’ and Shuichi didn’t want to make it on that list, so he kept his mouth shut.

“And who are you?” Kaede asked, turning to the other boy.

“I’m far more interesting than a stupid robot.” the boy bragged. “I’m Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader!”

Just when Shuichi thought the talents couldn’t get any stranger. “...How do you become the Ultimate Supreme Leader?”

“Oh, y’know, become super powerful and control a really evil organisation,” Kokichi replied casually. 

“What?” Kaede gasped

“An e-evil organisation?” Shuichi shuddered. “Which one?”

“It’s a secret. If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Kokichi shrugged. “But I suppose if you really wanna know…” an evil smile spread across his face. 

“I’ll pass.” Shuichi jumped in quickly.

“My organisation has over 10,000 members and it’s constantly growing,” Kokichi boasted. “I was trying to see if Keeboy here would be of any use within my organisation. If he's got limited weaknesses, then I could use him for free labour."

“That’s unjust!” Keebo protested. "Just because I'm a robot, I still deserved to be paid." 

“What are you gonna use the money for?” Kokichi rolled his eyes. “To buy yourself some nice new robot shoes?” his tone was extremely mocking.

"So, Keebo, do you have any weaknesses?" Shuichi asked. 

“If he’s powered by electricity, I suppose water would be a pretty big weakness,” Rantaro remarked.

“H-hey! Don’t give him ideas!” Keebo panicked.

“Oh, my bad.” Rantaro apologised.

“That’s if you even wanna believe me…” Kokichi muttered.

“Huh?” Rantaro said, a little lost. 

“I’m a liar,” Kokichi smirked. “It’s up to you to decide what’s true or false. All of this could have been one big lie." 

“So, you aren’t the Supreme Leader of a secret organisation?” Shuichi frowned.

“No, that part’s true,” Kokichi replied. “But I’m alwayyyys lying. Maybe I’m even lying about the fact that I always lie.”

“Wouldn't that be a paradox?” Kaede mused.

“Don’t listen to him,” Keebo warned them. “Everything he says is questionable. Why don’t you tell us who you are instead?”

The trio ran through their introductions, which would, thankfully, be for the last time. It seemed to be a great shock that Rantaro couldn't remember his talent. 

“You don’t know your talent?” Kokichi said to Rantaro. “Jeez, that must be boring. Why didn’t you just lie and make something up?”

Rantaro shrugged. “I didn’t see the point in covering up the truth.”

“But think of all the fun you could’ve had!” Kokichi exclaimed. “Such a wasted opportunity. You could have told everyone you’re the Ultimate Robot Slayer.”

“Stop it.” Keebo scowled.

“Sorrrry Keeboy, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” Kokichi apologised sincerely.

“Thank you, Kokichi.” Keebo smiled. “That was very mature of you.”

“That was a lie,” Kokichi smirked, taking back everything he had just said. “You’re made of metal; you should learn to toughen up.”

*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*

They were saved by the bell. Before any drama could kick off, an announcement played through the speakers. The sudden noise caused Shuichi to jump. His eyes darted to the monitor in a flash, aware that this probably the announcement he had been waiting for. A shadowy outline of a figure appeared on the screen. The shape was similar to the Monokubs, but that didn't seem right. 

“This is the Headmaster speaking!” the voice said. It was very high pitched, not what Shuichi had expected at all. “I am now ready for our introduction! Please make your way to the gymnasium, so we can become acquainted. I can’t wait to meet you! Things are about to get very interesting.”

Upon the headmaster's instructions, the five students travelled to the gymnasium together, with Kokichi leading up front. He teased Keebo the entire way, questioning other possible weaknesses, ranging from cake to TNT. 

By the time they arrived at the gymnasium, the rest of the students were already there. Everyone was spread out, needing their personal space in these uncertain times. 

“It seems like you’re the last five here,” said Kaito, the first to speak.

“Nyeh what took you so long?” Himiko sighed. “Waiting is such a pain.”

“But Himiko, you only arrived here a minute ago yourself…” Korekiyo pointed out.

“Stop stalking Himiko!” Tenko raised her voice. “That’s such typical degenerate male behaviour.”

“I was not stalking her!” Korekiyo objected, somewhat taken back. “We all saw her arrive a minute ago.”

"What does it matter?" Rantaro interrupted. "We're all here now." 

Tsumugi appeared deep in thought. “I wonder what the headmaster is going to be like.”

“Gonta hopes he nice,” Gonta said.

Kaito scratched his head. “I just want him to give us some answers about our situation.”

“Sixteen Ultimates trapped together without their memories," Korekiyo narrated. "What an interesting scenario indeed..." 

“Well, we don’t know for certain that we’re trapped.” Kaede objected, attempting to stay optimistic. “Perhaps the exit is just currently off limits.”

“Did you miss the giant cage outside, or…?” Kokichi looked at her as if she were stupid.

“Detective,” Maki said, turning to Shuchi. “Shuichi is it?” she had forgotten his name already.

“Y-yes?” Shuichi replied, nervous from her stare.

“What have you learnt?” Maki asked. “You were looking for information.”

“Well, there are sixteen of us here and we all have distorted memories. No one knows how they got to the academy.” Shuichi said. “As for the building we’re in, there are currently two floors and a basement, but a lot of locked doors. There are some dormitories outside, where they’re expecting us to sleep.”

“Did you actually learn anything useful?” Kokichi complained. “We all know that.”

“Sorry, I’m afraid not,” Shuichi replied honestly.

“Useless.” Miu scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“C’mon, he’s a detective, not a superhero.” Kaito reminded them. “He can only work with what’s there.”

“Did anybody else discover anything?” Kirumi asked.

There were shrugs all around. Everyone was very much in the same boat.

“Didn’t any of you fuckin' idiots try and find somethin' out?” Miu snapped, unimpressed at everyone.

“Did you , Miu?” Kokichi challenged her.

“I don’t think this counts as important, but there is something that’s been bothering me,” Ryoma confessed. “This place...it doesn’t feel like a prison.”

“I was thinking that too.” Tsumugi agreed. “Maybe I’ve watched too much anime, but I thought we’d all be behind bars.”

“Not to mention, there aren’t any prison guards,” Keebo added.

“I’ve been to prison before and it was nothing like this,” Ryoma said. “We have too much freedom.”

“The Monokubs did say that this is a modern form of punishment,” Kirumi said. “Perhaps that is what they meant.”

“I’m not complaining," Kokichi relaxed his shoulders. "This beats being in a cell." 

“How can you not be complaining?” Maki said to Kokichi. “We might not be behind bars, but we’ve still been stripped of our freedom.”

"That was a lie, Maki," Kokichi revealed. "Jeeez! You're so gullible." 

Angie joined in. “Actually, Atua has told me that this is all a big misunderstanding.”

Those yet to have met Angie were very confused at the mention of Atua. The artist began to describe the God of her island, but she wasn't given the chance to finish. No sooner had she started speaking, the door to the gymnasium swung wide open, welcoming five gigantic robots, who charged into the room. Their presence triggered a chorus of chaotic screaming. 

“Surprise! Rise and Shine, Ursine!” the robots chanted as one.

Kaito began to back up, a sweat breaking across his brow. "W-what are those things?!”

“Eeeeek!” Tsumugi let out a blood-curdling scream, making Shuichi feel cold all over. 

Shuichi felt frozen with fear. The robots felt like something from a sci-fi movie, nothing he had ever encountered in his everyday life before. They were strong and strapping, at least double the height of Gonta - the tallest student in the room. Each one was a different colour, but they were all designed the same; big metallic structures with a serpent's tail. 

“D-don’t make me fight you!” Tenko threatened. Her stance was strong, but her quivering voice took away all of its power.

“Interesting, very interesting,” Korekiyo studied the robots, examining them one at a time. “What exactly are you?”

"Miu, you're an inventor," Rantaro remarked, turning to face her. "Do you know what these things are?" 

“Do I fuck!” Miu retorted, trembling where she stood.

Miu was no help. Instead, one of the robots themselves answered the question on everyone's mind. "These are the Exisasls." the red one revealed. 

“Damn right they are!” the blue machine roared. “They’re highly mobile, bipedal weapons platforms.”

“Youse better be afraid.” the yellow Exisal attempted to scare them.

As Shuichi listened to the robots, it came to his attention how familiar they were. The quirks within their speech patterns had given away their identities, leading Shuichi to the truth. Now that he understood who was controlling these machines, he felt slightly calmer. After all, they were no threat...just five, slightly irritating, teddy bears. "Everyone, stay calm!" along with Rantaro, Shuichi was now the most composed person in the room. "It's just the Monokubs controlling these things."

"So I thought..." Rantaro muttered, though not quite loud enough for everyone to hear.

“The Monokubs are inside?” Kirumi repeated.

“I’m certain,” Shuichi nodded. “They speak exactly the same, and the colours match up too." 

“Shuichi’s right, we shouldn’t be afraid,” Rantaro reassured them. “It’s just the Monokubs, so I don’t think we’re in any danger.”

“You shouldn’t speak like that," Himiko warned him. "You’re waving a death flag.” 

“Ignorant idiots like you always die first!” Miu growled.

"Listen, if the Exisals were going to kill us, they would have done so by now," Rantaro said rationally. 

“Then why are they here?” Angie cocked her head. “Atua did not send for them.”

Shuichi had no idea unless he was going to start guessing, but it seemed that Rantaro had a theory in mind. 

“They want something…” Rantaro said, beginning to pace around the gymnasium. “The Exisals are powerful, but the Monokubs aren’t. If this were just a trivial matter, I’m sure they would be visiting us out of costume.”

Shuichi liked what Rantaro had to say, as he spoke with logic. The Monokubs had turned up in their finest armour, meaning they were either protecting themselves or ready for a fight. Since the students weren't armed, Shuichi had a dreadful feeling that it was the latter...

"I believe that this is merely a means of protection," Korekiyo voiced his opinion. "We are supposedly criminals, so that would make sense. This is no different to a police officer wearing a bulletproof vest." 

"This could be the academy's modern version of security," Ryoma commented. 

The sixteen Ultimates were accused of being criminals, so the Exisals were possibly there as a security measure. That being said, Shuichi couldn’t understand why they had been introduced in such a threatening manner.

"I should probably have mentioned this before, but I met the Monokubs earlier with Shuichi and Kaede," Rantaro said. "They weren't in any form of robot suits." 

"Ah, then perhaps I was wrong," Korekiyo said. 

Shuichi decided to share his own theory. "I don't think it's for protection, but rather, to intimidate us." 

 

“Nobody likes a smartass!” Monosuke scorned, from inside the yellow Exisal. 

“They really don’t call you Ultimates for nothing!” Monophanie said.

"What are you talking about?" Tenko asked, seeking clarification. "You're here to intimidate us?"

"Kind of," Monotaro replied, avoiding answering the question properly. 

“You punkasses are in a mother fucking killing game!” Monokid boomed, his voice echoing off the gymnasium walls.

“H-huh?” Shuichi gasped, his own confusion making it difficult to follow along.

For the first time since entering the gymnasium, Monodam spoke up. “YOU-SHOULD-NOT-HAVE-SAID-THAT.” his Exisal was shaking a little. ‘’YOU-WILL-BE-PUNISHED.”

“Daddy’s going to be furious.” Monophanie whimpered, the panic in her voice clear. “What have you done, Monokid?!”

“You aren’t supposed to go off script.” Monotaro huffed, probably jealous that his brother had stolen the limelight. 

“Hold on a sec, you can’t just change the subject!” Tenko cried. “What’s going on?!”

“He said this is a killing game,” Maki repeated. She didn’t seem remotely distressed about the situation, her face expressionless. 

“We all heard that, you stupid bitch!” Miu hissed. “But what does that even mean? I want answers! Kubs, tell me in private, away from the others if you have to.” she had turned to desperate, snakey tactics. 

“What makes you think you’re so much better than the rest of us?!” Kaito exclaimed, calling out Miu for her selfish behaviour.

Kokichi joined in. "From what I can see, Miu is about as useful as herpes. Which she probably already has..." 

“W-what?” Miu’s face fell instantly, her attitude dropping with it. “D-don’t say that. I’m c-clean. I’ll take a test to prove it!" 

“I do not mean to interrupt, but we have bigger matters to discuss right now.” Kirumi cut in.

“I dunno, Miu’s herpes seems pretty important to me,” Kokichi went on. “We don’t want anyone to catch it.”

“Will you be quiet?!” Tenko glared Kokichi down.

A mysterious voice interrupted them all, its eerie presence filling the gymnasium. “Everybody needs to SHUT UP, or you’re going to miss the star of the show…”

Shuichi wasn't sure who the voice belonged to, but he didn't like it. There was something evil about it, a darkness which had caused every hair on his body to stand up. 

“Daddy!” Monophanie cried, releasing herself from her Exisal and running towards the gymnasium's stage. 

The other four Kubs copied, leaving the Exisals and running as fast as they could to be next to their sister. They seemed much less threatening in their normal, teddy bear form. 

“Father? It sounds like Father!” Monotaro said, the excitement within his voice apparent.

“Where’s that voice coming from?” Kaede asked, looking around.

Shuichi tried locating the voice also, but he had no such luck. No one new had entered the gym, so that was ruled out. It was almost as if the voice was appearing from the sky, but that was ridiculous. 

“Everyone, please welcome your headmaster…” the voice called out again. 

Shuichi cast another gaze around the gymnasium, desperate to catch a glimpse of his headmaster. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a hazy cloud of smoke, which had formed on the centre of the gymnasium's stage. Shuichi focused all of his attention on the smoke, as did his other classmates. As the smoke began to clear, Shuichi could clearly see the outline of his headmaster, who was standing behind a podium. The rest of the smoke disappeared and Shuichi found his jaw hitting the floor, shocked to his core at the sight of the person on stage. This is because it wasn't a person, but another bear. This was not a man standing behind a podium, but instead, a small bear, sitting on top of it, creating the illusion of height. The bear appeared bigger than the Monokubs and consisted of two colours - black and white, one solid colour down each side of his body. Out of all the bears, he seemed the most sinister, with an evil smile spread across his face.

“I am Monokuma, your headmaster here at the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles.” said the bear, the creepy voice definitely belonged to him. "Trust me when I say this, you won't be forgetting my name any time soon." 

“H-headmaster?” Shuichi said weakly, his stomach sinking at what he saw. Surely, his headmaster wasn’t going to be another robotic bear. He had been expecting a human, was that too much to ask?

“Why is there another one of them…?” a distressed Tsumugi complained, just as baffled as Shuichi.

“Something about this one is different though, Atua can tell,” Angie told them, analysing Monokuma. “Atua doesn’t like him; he can sense such a dark presence.”

“Well, I don’t like Atua.” Monokuma retorted.

“You know about Atua?” Korekiyo asked. 

“Of course I do.” Monokuma nodded wisely. “We used to meet every Wednesday to get sushi.”

“That doesn’t sound like Atua,” Angie shook her head. “Atua doesn’t eat sushi.”

“He does with me,” Monokuma argued.

“Atua doesn’t eat on Wednesdays either.” Angie insisted.

“Why doesn’t he eat on Wednesdays?” Kaito scratched his head, joining in with their back and forth. 

“Um, maybe we should talk about Atua and his eating habits a bit later,” Kaede said, diplomatically. “Right now, I think we need to focus.”

“Looks like someone is gunning to be Head Girl,” Kokichi smirked tauntingly. 

"I don't think there's much to talk about," Kaito said. "This is clearly a joke. The real headmaster is gonna show up any second. This is prolly some prank to warm us up." 

“I already told you, I’m the real headmaster!” Monokuma scowled.

“Am I hallucinating?” Tsumugi asked weakly.

"A robotic bear used as an authority figure..." Korekiyo commented, his eyes shining with delight. "This culture is simply fascinating. Humanity is beautiful!" 

“A bear can’t be a headmaster, that’s just crazy!” Kaito exclaimed. “This has to be some kind of trick.”

“We said the same about the Monokubs, but they seem pretty legitimate.” Rantaro reminded them all.

"Why is everyone being so robophobic?" Keebo ranted, clearly offended. "Can no one comprehend the idea of a robot becoming a headteacher? What is so wrong about that?"

"It's not so much that fact he's a robot, it's because he's a bear," Kaede explained, addressing Keebo's issue. "Everyone has been waiting for some real answers, but now I'm not sure that we're going to get them." 

“Stop belittling Daddy!” Monophanie cried, defending her Father. “He's worked really hard to become a Headmaster, you know? This is a rare opportunity for bears.”

“Ah, I remember the days of climbing the career ladder,” Monokuma reminisced. “I started off teaching art to preschoolers.”

Shuichi had a feeling that Monokuma was just waffling for the sake of it, as it seemed to be something that he enjoyed.

"Papa Kuma never supported our artwork though," Monokid huffed. "We never made it to the fridge. He was too busy drinking honey to fuckin' care!" 

“That’s behind us now.” Monotaro reminded him.

Their nonsense chatter was tiresome, and Shuichi had grown bored of it very quickly. He genuinely believed he would have a better time talking to his own hand, than these useless bears. If he wanted the conversation to get back on track, then he'd have to sort things out for himself. 

“You really are the Headmaster here?” Shuichi pressed. 

“Yup!” Monokuma nodded. “You can search this building upside down if you like, but you won’t find any old white men lurking around. I’m the headmaster!”

It seemed that Monokuma was telling the truth as he was rather insistent. For now, Shuichi chose to believe him, as there were further questions that he wanted to ask.

“What is this place?” Shuichi went on.

“The Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, of course,” Monokuma said.

“I know that, but is it really a school for reforming Ultimate Criminals?” Shuichi went on.

“Doesn’t the security of this place answer that?” Monokuma teased. “This is no ordinary high school. You really ask a lot of questions.”

“We just want some answers,” Kaede spoke up. “No one here is a criminal, we all feel the same way.”

“Of course you don’t think that you're criminals,” Monokuma said. “The Kubs already told you this, your memories have been wiped!”

It seemed that Monokuma wasn’t giving any more information on the criminal situation. All hopes of asking the Headmaster for information were beginning to fade away.

“I have a question,” Maki said. “The Monokubs mentioned a Killing Game. What was that about?”

It was a question that Shuichi had meaning to ask as well, but had fallen to the back of his mind amongst everything else. 

“Whattt!” Monokuma roared, furious at what he had just heard. “Who said something?!

Monotaro had no loyalty, selling out his brother straight away. “It was Monokid, Father!” 

Monokuma seemed angry, his entire body shaking. Was this because Monokid had been making up lies, or because he’d revealed the truth too early?

“Well, I suppose what’s done is done,” Monokuma took a deep breath, suddenly calming down. 

“What does that mean?” Kirumi pried. 

“Puhuhuhu…” Monokuma snickered eerily.

“What are you laughing?” Maki narrowed her eyes.

“It’s nervous laughter, I suppose,” Monokuma said. “This is the big reveal, the fundamental moment of the story. Everything changes from here on out.”

“I’m just gettin’ more fuckin’ confused,” Miu complained. “Spit it out, will ya?”

“The sixteen of you, with your Ultimate talents, are going to participate in a killing game!” Monokuma cheered as if he was expecting a fanfare.

Shuichi said nothing, keeping his thoughts to himself. His brain began working overtime, trying to understand what this could possibly mean. He had never heard of a killing game before, but he could take a pretty accurate guess at what it involved. 

“A killing game?!” Tenko’s voice wobbled.

“What are you talking about?” Kaede was trembling also. “I thought we were here to atone for our behaviour.”

“Oh, did the Monokubs tell you that you’re atoning for your behaviour?” Monokuma tilted his head innocently. “Well, they must’ve got it wrong! Those idiots have no brains. You’re here to be punished for your behaviour like all nasty criminals are.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Kaito responded. “They said we’ve been sent here to work on our talents in prison.”

“Well yeah, if you live long enough then there’s plenty of time to focus on those talents of yours.” Monokuma clarified.

“But if you force us into a killing game, surely you become just as guilty?” Kirumi questioned Monokuma’s logic.

“I won’t be the one doing the killing, so my hands are clean,” Monokuma replied. “Besides, I’m not forcing you to kill each other, I’m just organising the game. If you choose to take the life of another, then that’s on you.”

“Why would we kill each other?!” Keebo exclaimed

“Well, if you ever want to leave this place, killing each other is your ticket out of here…” Monokuma revealed.

“Why would anyone commit murder just to get out of here early?” Kaede cried. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Oh, I don’t think you’ve been listening properly,” Monokuma sighed. “Murder isn’t an early ticket out of here, it’s the only ticket out of here.”

“W-what?!” Shuichi gasped, his throat suddenly feeling very dry. Was Monokuma really implying that the rest of their lives were going to be spent in the school? “If we don’t commit murder, we never get to leave this academy?”

“Ding ding ding!” Monokuma said. “Shuichi gets it. If you don’t start killing each other, you lot are going to spend the remainder of your lives trapped here. I wonder who’s hair will turn grey first…”

“Are you seriously saying that we’ll spend the remainder of our lives here?!” Kaito was in disbelief.

“You guys must have seen the gigantic wall surrounding this place.” Monokuma reminded them. “I certainly won’t be letting you out. Not unless a murder occurs, of course.”

“Nyeh, what a pain.” Himiko huffed.

“You can’t stop us from leaving!” Tenko exclaimed. “I’ll fight all of your Kubs and climb that wall if I have to.”

“Gonta can knock wall down.” Gonta joined in, firing himself up. 

“Would that really be sensible?” Monokuma remarked. “You haven’t seen the damage the Exisals can do. They will come after you if you try to leave.”

The Exisals seemed incredibly powerful. Shuichi hadn’t seen them properly in action, but he knew they weren’t to be messed with. Tenko and Gonta seemed strong, but not compared to five giant robots with guns for arms. It was clear now why Monokuma had introduced the Exisals before announcing the killing game; he was scaring them.

“What if we choose to stay here forever?” Rantaro asked, remaining calm.

“Fine by me.” Monokuma shrugged. “I don’t age. Once you lot all die from old age, I’ll go off travelling the world.”

“I ain’t growin' old in here!” Miu spat. “I have too much potential.”

“But that means you’d have to kill someone!” Tsumugi reminded her.

“You all seem so shocked, but don’t forget that you’re criminals.” Monokuma pointed out. “If you lot got your memories back, this would be a piece of cake for you.”

“Then why did take our memories?” Rantaro challenged the bear. “Surely things would move along a lot faster with our criminal minds.”

“It’s all part of the punishment process,” Monokuma explained.

Shuichi still refused to believe that his past involved darkness and crime. “If we’ve been locked up for being such terrible people, then why are you encouraging us to commit murder? That seems so counterproductive. Society would never allow something this twisted!”

“If you take the life of another vile criminal, then it cleans you of your sins. If you’re successful with your killing, everyone else is executed. You’re doing the world a favour and ridding Japan of some of its most hated criminals.” Monokuma replied. “Besides, I never said society condoned this idea. You don’t know who I am or if people even know that you’re here. The decision is all yours, but do you really wanna throw your youth away, sparing the lives of people that you don’t even know?”

“How does this game work?” Maki asked, changing the subject a little. “A bloodbath fight to the death?”

“M-Maki!” Shuichi exclaimed. Her name escaped his mouth before he even realised. Shuichi was horrified that someone wanted to learn more about the killing game.

Maki glared at Shuichi. “We should find out as much as we can. How are you supposed to watch your back if you don’t know the rules?”

“A bloodbath?” Monokuma repeated. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.”

“I think he’s stuck…” Angie raised her eyebrows.

“I’m not stuck, I’m just passionate about how much bloodbath killing games don’t work,” Monokuma insisted, his voice alive with passion. “They’re over too quickly. There’s no time for motives or class trials. The bloodbath itself is amazing, but a proper killing game is so much more rewarding.”

There was a lot to take away from Monokuma's comment, but one thing intrigued Shuichi in particular. “Class trials?”

“Class trials are the foundation of this killing game,” Monokuma informed them. “My precious Kubs, why don’t you explain the rules?”

“If one of you punks kill someone, it ain’t as easy as just getting the fuck out of here,” Monokid began. “You’ve gotta participate in a class trial!”

“In the class trial, the blackened killer will face off against their spotless classmates,” Monophanie explained. “How tense!"

“Youse have to argue and work together to decide who youse think the blackened is,” Monosuke continued.

“Next up, it’s voting time!” Monotaro went on. “If the majority of you worms vote correctly, then the blackened killer will be punished.”

“Once the blackened is punished, the rest of you will carry on living here together, well until another murder occurs,” Monophanie said. “But, if you vote for the wrong person during the class trial…”

“The blackened gets to leave this place,” Monosuke said. “They’ll live a normal life outside of the academy.”

“But as for the rest of you…” Monotaro teased.

“You’ll all be PUNISHED!” Monokid was all fired up.

“That’s it,” Monophanie smiled. “Those are the rules of the class trial.”

“Beautifully explained!” Monokuma offered a round of applause, although no one else joined in.

“So the killing game isn’t just about committing murder, you have to survive the class trial too.” Rantaro summarised what they had just been told.

“Why is it so complicated?” Himiko complained.

“When you mentioned a punishment, what were you talking about?” Ryoma asked.

Shuichi had a horrible feeling that he already knew the answer to that question.

“The punishment is an execution of course!” Monokuma threw back his head, roaring with laughter

“You’re going to e-execute us?” Tsumugi had turned very pale.

“Well, if you’re going to commit a crime and mess it up, I have to punish you for it.” Monokuma scorned them. "If you’re dumb enough to get caught, then there is no redemption.”

“P-Please try not to get punished.” Monophanie quivered. “It's so gory, I just can’t handle it. Even the thought of them makes me- BLRGHBLRGHBLRGH.” the pink bear violently threw up all over the floor.

The sight of it made Shuichi’s own stomach turn. Too much was going on, which made the situation to hard to deal with. Seeing Monophanie throw up, only made him feel worse. It was one step too far. 

“Shuichi, are you okay?” Kaede eyed him up in concern. “You’re turning green…”

Shuichi didn’t reply, afraid to open his mouth. He could already smell the terrible odour coming from Monophanie’s puke. He took five deep breaths, determined not to copy her.

“Okay, I’m getting bored now,” Monokuma announced. “It’s taken so long and this is only the prologue. The real fun begins when you’re left to your own devices. Let’s start the killing game already! I want excitement.”

“But Gonta has questions.” Gonta protested.

“What else do you need to know?” Monokuma smirked. “You’re free to kill each other however you like, using whatever weapons you can find around the school. Poison, electrocution, a brutal stabbing, falling from a great height. These are just some of the ways to die. Let your brains run wild as you plan the perfect murder.”

“Kehehe, there is so much at stake,” Korekiyo remarked. “Humanity is so beautiful, why we would throw that away?”

“You can’t predict what people are thinking,” Kokichi reminded him. “Perhaps some people are planning their murder already. Personally, I’d sacrifice Keeboy; he isn’t even human.”

“That is robophobic!” Keebo cried.

“Typical degenerate behaviour.” Tenko glared at Kokichi. “Males always put themselves first.”

The students began to bicker between themselves, but Shuichi had already zoned out of the conversation. He felt sick and his mind was a mess. It was a bad enough being told that he was a criminal without his memories, but having the killing game introduced too... It was the icing on a terrible cake of despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my story so far!
> 
> When V3 was announced, like many people, I thought the students might have some kind of criminal past, considering they're in a school for juveniles. This didn't really get touched upon in the game, so I thought I would explore it myself.
> 
> I won't promise an upload schedule, as I was terrible at sticking to it with my last story. The chapters will be posted as soon as they're ready, though! :)


	2. The Death Road of Despair (1.1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students deal with the aftermath of the killing game announcement. Can they really be involved in something so horrific? Perhaps the Death Road of Despair will help them escape before the killing even begins...

A killing game... a cruel and merciless competition, a fight to the death between sixteen innocent students. How could Monokuma inflict something so evil? From the moment it had been announced, Shuichi knew that he would never participate in the killing game, even if it cost him his freedom. To graduate from the Ultimate Academy of Gifted Juveniles, fifteen people would have to die. There was nothing in the world that could convince Shuichi to take the life of another. 

“I can’t be bothered to listen to your reactions; you’re all so predictable,” Monokuma moaned, jumping down from his podium. “I’m leaving for some celebratory fish and champagne! It’s to celebrate the beginning of this awesome, heart-pounding, stomach churning, gut-wrenching, spine-chilling, teeth chattering killing game.”

“Daddy, don’t forget about the presents!” Monophanie reminded him.

“Oh of course!” Monokuma exclaimed. “One final thing before I go, I have a small gift for you all.” from behind the podium, Monokuma presented a large sack. “Kubs, give these out.”

The Monokubs delved into the bag, pushing and shoving each other to get their hands on something first. They retrieved digital tablets, which reminded Shuichi of his iPad at home. The Kubs split the task between them, handing out the tablets to the students. Shuichi received one from Monosuke, who thrust it at him rather rudely. Upon getting his tablet, Shuichi tapped the screen to see if anything would happen, which it did. The screen came to life, flashing up Shuichi's name. Each device must have been personalised.

“These are Monopads,” Monokuma explained. “They’re essential for your time during the killing game! There’s a map of the academy to help you find your way. You can also take a look at the school rules, which I suggest you do right away, since you wouldn’t want to break them.”

Breaking the school rules probably resulted in death as well. Shuichi decided to read over the rules immediately, as did his fellow classmates.

**RULES FOR THE ULTIMATE ACADEMY FOR GIFTED JUVENILES**

**#1: Students are required to cohabitate at the Ultimate Academy for the remainder of the unforeseeable future.**

**#2: When a murder is committed in the academy, a class trial will be conducted. Participation in this trial is mandatory for all surviving students.**

**#3: If the killer (hereinafter referred to as "the blackened") is correctly identified during the class trial, only the blackened will be punished for their crime.**

**#4: If the blackened cannot be identified, or if an incorrect student is identified as the blackened, all students except the blackened will be punished for the crime.**

**#5: If the blackened survives the class trial, they are declared the winner. At which point, they will graduate from the Ultimate Academy and re-enter the outside world.**

**#6: If innocent students (hereinafter referred to as "the spotless") continue to survive class trials, the killing game will continue until only one student remains.**

**#7: "Nighttime" is officially designated as the hours between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. During this time, the dining hall and gymnasium are closed.**

**#8: All acts of violence toward Monokuma, the headmaster of the Ultimate Academy, are strictly prohibited.**

**#9: Monokuma will never directly participate in a murder.**

**#10: Your Monopads are very important items. Make sure you do not damage them.**

**#11: A body discovery announcement will occur when three or more students discover a body.**

**#12: Students have free rein to explore the Ultimate Academy as they see fit.**

**#13: Students who violate these rules will be exterminated with extreme prejudice by the Exisals.**

**#14: The headmaster may add additional regulations to this list at any time.**

There was a lot of information for Shuichi to take in, so he knew that he would have to recap the rules later. Out of all the rules, number six stood out in particular. The killing game was going to continue until just one student remained. Staring at those around him, Shuichi couldn’t imagine fifteen of those faces, perhaps even his own, dead.

Monokuma and his Kubs had sneakily left the room whilst the students were reading the rules. He seemed like an impatient bear, so he was probably fed up of answering questions. It was frustrating, as Shuichi had so much more left to ask, but there was nothing that he could do about that for now. The students had been left alone to process everything.

“So, these are the rules then,” Kokichi broke the silence, the first to speak. “This should be fun.”

“How can you say that?!” Tenko cried, shooting him a look of pure disgust. “Degenerate males are so messed up!”

“Hey! He doesn’t speak for all of us.” Kaito objected.

“Everything about this is wrong.” Keebo shook his head, almost in disbelief.

“So robots don’t have dicks, but they do have morals. Who woulda thought!” Kokichi teased.

“A killing game sounds like a huge pain.” Himiko sighed.

“A pain?!” Kaito narrowed his brow. “That makes it sound like you’re considering taking part!”

“Don’t raise your voice at Himiko, you filthy male!” Tenko snapped, raising her own voice even louder. “She’s simply expressing her opinion.”

“Yeah, her opinion of murder.” Kaito retorted.

“Everybody, stop arguing!” Kaede interrupted them. “Don't you see? This is what Monokuma wants. He wants us to turn against each other!"

"What else do you expect?" Miu snapped. "We've just been told we're trapped here forever unless we kill someone. Do you wanna start making fuckin' friendship bracelets?"

"That's not what I'm saying," Kaede replied, remaining calm. "I don't want us to automatically treat each other as enemies. It increases the chance of the killing game actually happening." 

"Surely no one would take part in this crap." Kaito ranted. "This whole thing is twisted." 

"Who would make us do something like this?" Kirumi pondered. 

"It's plain confusing," Tsumugi said. "Why have we been put here just to kill each other?" 

"This would definitely be a lot easier to understand if we had our memories," Rantaro said. "It feels like so much is missing." 

"This is why we need to work together," Kaede insisted. "We're all in the unknown right now, so the worst thing we can do is isolate ourselves."

"But we have been pitted against each other as mortal enemies." Korekiyo reminded her. 

"We have to think of Monokuma as our enemy, not each other!" Kaede exclaimed. 

"I like the way you think, Kaede!" Tenko agreed. "Monokuma is the real degenerate here. We should fight him!" 

"I wouldn't do that unless you wanna die..." Rantaro said cautiously. "Don't forget about the school rules. It says all violence against Monokuma is prohibited." 

"Hmph, I'll find another way to bring him down," said Tenko, refusing to lose her fighting spirit. 

“There are so many rules to think about,” Tsumugi remarked. “We better be careful not to break any of them.”

“I will do my best to memorise them,” Korekiyo said. “Although, a majority of the rules only relate to the class trials, so hopefully that is something we won’t have to deal with.” 

“Why are we even talkin’ about the rules?” Kaito interrupted. “Shouldn’t we be workin’ together to get out of here?”

“And how exactly are we going to do that?” Maki asked. “Since you’re so vocal, do you have a suggestion?”

“Yeah Kaito,” Kokichi smirked. “We’re all ears.” 

“Well…no, not yet…” Kaito replied in a flustered fashion. “But that’s what teamwork is all about, we’re supposed to figure this out together.” 

"You're useless." Miu scoffed. 

"Before we start panicking, we need to think about this rationally," Kaede mused, beginning to pace around the gymnasium. "We shouldn't make any rushed decisions that we might regret. After all, this could just be a test..."

“A test?” repeated Angie, appearing interested in what Kaede had to say.

"I've been thinking," Kaede shared. "It's a good idea to consider all possibilities before we instantly presume the worst. This could be a test."

"If that's true, who's testing us?" Ryoma asked, putting forward the question on everyone's mind. 

"That...I don't know," Kaede admitted honestly. "But I'm starting to think that whoever is behind this is pushing us to our limits, to see if we could commit a crime...to see if we could commit murder. Maybe we really are criminals who have lost their memories, so now, we're being tested to see if we've changed. If we prove that we're not going to give in and take part in a killing game, it shows that we're truly better people, and we can be released from the academy." 

“Oh, that would make sense!” Tsumugi agreed. “We have to prove that we would never commit a crime again, no matter what the circumstance.”

"Perhaps we never committed crimes at all, and this is a test to identify potential criminals." Kirumi put forward. 

"It's only a theory, but it would explain why everything has been so extreme." Kaede went on. 

"That sounds about right," Kaito nodded enthusiastically. "I'm not buying into this whole 'modern form of punishment' thing. This isn't normal."

“I can breathe now!” Tenko exclaimed, relief washing over her. “My chest felt super tight when Monokuma announced the killing game.”

“Imagine how tight my chest felt!” Miu said. “It’s even bigger than yours.”

“I wasn’t talking about my breasts…” Tenko frowned.

“We just need to take it easy then.” Kaito stuck up his thumb. “Hopefully, it won’t take them long to realise that we aren’t bad people.”

"I mean, I'm not certain..." Kaede said hesitantly. "I could be wrong and I don't want to lead you into believing something that isn't true. But I definitely think that we don't need to panic. If we stick together, everything should be okay."

"Atua agrees with you, Kaede." Angie smiled. "As soon as I woke up, he told me that this is a test. So do not worry everyone!" 

Shuichi frowned. Angie had changed her story and he'd noticed. Earlier, she had called their situation a misunderstanding, not a test. Shuichi had no faith in Atua and wouldn't be relying on Angie much either. No one else seemed to notice Angie's lie. Instead, some of the students began to celebrate. 

“Haha, Gonta is happy now!” Gonta smiled.

Shuichi felt the tension leave the room as bodies loosened up. He wished he could share in their sense of relief, but that wasn't going to happen. Kaede's theory was a possibility, but it was nothing more than that...a theory. A killing game orchestrated by a robotic bear did sound crazy, but that didn't automatically mean it was a trick. There wasn't enough evidence yet to rule anything out. He wished Angie hadn't said anything either, because by mentioning Atua, she had filled the group with false hope. Fortunately, it wasn't just Shuichi who was sceptical about the idea.

“I think you’re being naive,” Maki said, bluntly. “We have no proof that this is a test. You’re ignoring the possibility of a killing game because you don’t want to accept it.”

"Well, I did say that I'm not certain," Kaede defended herself. "I know nothing more than anyone else." 

Shuichi agreed with what Maki had to say, although he didn't see the need for her to be so harsh. Kaede's theory shouldn't just be accepted as the truth because it was what everyone wanted to hear. 

“We don’t have any proof that the killing game is real either,” Kaito replied. “Everything seems so fabricated and over the top.”

"Exactly, Kaito," Angie agreed. "Atua had his suspicions from the minute I woke up here. Kaede can see that too." 

"Killing games aren't a part of society," Kaede said, sharing her reasoning. "I can't imagine anyone allowing this to happen. Surely, it would be illegal." 

“Can you guarantee this is a test?” Maki narrowed her eyes. She wasn't being aggressive, but her cool tone was intimidating.

“Well, no…” Kaede admitted. “But I never said I knew anything for certain. I just believe that if we wait things out, it should all fall into place. Even if this isn't a test, it's better than anyone turning to murder.”

“And what if things don’t fall how you expect them to?” Maki argued. "What are you going to do if it's a year later and nothing has changed?"

Miu interrupted. “Geez, can you stop bein’ such a fuckin’ buzz kill? Shut up!”

"I think-" Shuichi tried to join in with the conversation, but he was quickly shut down by Miu.

"No one wants to hear from you either, Pooichi." Miu snapped. "No one wants to waste their time talking to a boring perv." 

Shuichi decided not to persist with his comment, as Miu was only going to keep insulting him. Until he had done some proper investigating, he might as well keep his opinion to himself anyway.  

To brighten the mood, Kirumi had a generous offer. “We have been through quite a lot, so why don’t I make some tea for you all?” she suggested. “It’s perfect for calming nerves and helping with anxiety.”

“That sounds delightful.” Korekiyo nodded. 

“I’ll pass,” Ryoma declined.

"I think you should come to the dining hall, whether you plan on drinking tea or not," Rantaro said. "Things are still pretty uncertain, so we should stick together."  

It was decided that everyone would go to the dining hall, as there were still discussions left to be had. Upon arrival, Kirumi went straight into the adjoining kitchen and prepared the tea. The Ultimate Maid set out sixteen teacups on the dining table, which were made of fine china. Despite some of the students rejecting the offer, Kirumi still filled all sixteen cups. 

Shuichi took a sip of his tea, which was indeed delicious. He wasn't sure if Kirumi had used a special secret ingredient, but it was better than anything he had ever ordered in a café. Those who weren't drinking were missing out. Unfortunately, the students weren't granted the privilege of drinking their tea in peace, as the Monokubs came storming into the room, slamming the door so violently that Shuichi thought it was going to fly off of its hinges. The bears were no longer in their Exisal suits, but with five of them charging the door at once, they were still pretty strong.

“What are youse up to?!” Monosuke pried, heading straight to the dining table.

“Is this a mass poisoning?” Monokid asked eagerly.

"Everyone is drinking the tea that I've prepared for them," Kirumi explained pleasantly. "Would you care for some?"

"What? No." Monokid snapped. "You're supposed to be killing each other, not making friends." 

"We aren't worried about the killing game anymore!" Tenko insisted. "We know the truth." 

“The...truth?” Monotaro frowned, looking utterly lost.

"The truth that this is a test!" Kaito jumped in eagerly. "We've just gotta prove that we'd never lower ourselves to murder." 

It seemed that the students had taken Kaede's theory and run away with it. Angie's comments from Atua hadn't helped either. 

“Oh...oh no.” Monophanie began to panic, trembling as she spoke. “I really wouldn’t talk like that if I were you; you’re going to make Daddy mad.”

Monodam got involved too, which felt especially strange. “THE-KILLING-GAME-HAS-COMMENCED.”

“We’ve already seen through your lies.” Himiko insisted.

“This isn’t a test.” Monophanie pressed.

“Father spent a really long time preparing the killing game, he’s going to be mad if you just ignore it!” a fearful Monotaro said.

Shuichi believed that the Kubs were being genuine; they looked terrified at the thought of upsetting Monokuma. This didn't seem like a prank or cruel joke, they really wanted the students to believe in the killing game. 

As if on cue, Monokuma appeared in the dining hall. He seemed to have been eavesdropping. "What's all of this commotion about? Why is everyone talking about me?" he turned straight to his children for an answer.  

“D-don’t tell him!” Monophanie squeaked. Unfortunately, her comment wasn't quiet enough and Monokuma heard. 

"Tell me about what?" Monokuma frowned, drumming his foot impatiently against the floor.

"Why don't you ask Atua?" Kokichi smirked, stirring drama by volunteering Angie to speak. 

Shuichi watched on, hoping that Angie would have enough sense to remain quiet. No matter what they believed, sharing theories with Monokuma was never going to end well. 

"Atua is sleeping," Angie stated. "But you could ask Kaede." 

"Well, Kaede?" Monokuma demanded. He was drumming his foot even faster, his frustration only growing. 

Kaede was reluctant to speak, having been put on the spot. She fiddled with her teacup as she spoke to the Headmaster. "I...I was just saying, there's a possibility that all of this is a test." 

“You’re testing us to see if we’re really criminals!” Tenko added.

Monokuma threw back his head and roared with laughter. “AHAHAHAHA!”

Shuichi had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach; it wasn’t a good idea to provoke Monokuma. 

“Why are you laughing?” Keebo frowned. “We are entirely serious.”

“For Ultimates, you guys are prettttty stupid.” Monokuma teased, wiping imaginary tears of laughter from his eyes. “You really believe that this is a test? Take off the tin foil hats.”

“This must be part of the test too!” Tenko claimed. "There's no fooling us." 

"Are you choosing to ignore me?" in a matter of seconds, Monokuma's tone had changed entirely. He was no longer laughing; his voice was as cold as ice. "Do you think hours of planning went into this for nothing?" 

"We shouldn't talk about this." Shuichi winced, unable to keep quiet any longer. He could see that Monokuma was getting angry. Test or not, they needed to cut it out. If his classmates kept taunting Monokuma, who knew what would happen. 

"But we shouldn't back down, Shuichi," Kaito insisted. 

“Listen to Shuichi, won’t you?” Maki sighed.

“But-” Kaito tried to protest, however, he was cut short by Monokuma.

"Fine!" Monokuma snapped. It was too late. "I want the name of someone in this room. Kaede, you'll be the one to give it to me since this was all your big idea." 

Kaede wasn't following. "P-pardon?"

“I said give me the name of someone in this room,” Monokuma repeated.

“W-why?” Kaede frowned, suspicious of Monokuma's motives.

“I’m going to kill them, right now, on the spot,” Monokuma said, appearing entirely serious.

“You aren’t allowed to kill us, it says so in the rules!” Keebo piped up.

“I can’t kill you, but the Exisals can.” Monokuma pointed out. “C’mon Kaede, I want a name.”

Kaede refused to give one, looking utterly horrified. “N-No…”

“But you believe this whole killing game is a load of baloney right?” Monokuma tilted his head. “If none of this is real, what does it matter if you give me a name?”

Shuichi could feel his heart racing. There was something very menacing about Monokuma’s behaviour. “Kaede, don’t do it.” Shuichi knew that it wasn’t worth the risk.

“I...I wouldn’t.” Kaede shook her head. It seemed that she had enough sense not to take the risk either.

“I’m waiting, Kaede.” Monokuma folded his arms, his patience wearing thin.

“Fine..." Kaede took a deep breath before revealing her answer. "I'll give you my name: Kaede Akamatsu," she spoke bravely although her voice was trembling. 

“Nope, not good enough.” Monokuma rejected her answer. “You aren’t allowed to nominate yourself.”

“Then I won’t nominate anyone.” Kaede protested, rising from her seat. 

“Oh, and why is that?” Monokuma pried, even though it was obvious that he knew the answer.

“Because...this isn’t a test…” Kaede lowered her head.

“It looks like you’ve finally come to your senses,” Monokuma smirked, slowly clapping his paws together in a sarcastic fashion. “Delusional people like you really are...something.”

“Cut it out,” Rantaro confronted Monokuma. “You've got your point across.”

Kaede looked incredibly close to tears, with her cheeks flushed scarlet - probably from the embarrassment. She sat back down in her seat, as if to make herself smaller.

“I’m leaving,” Monokuma announced. “I haven’t started on my celebratory fish yet. Stop spouting stupid theories so we can all get on with our day.”

Monokuma left the dining hall, taking the Monokubs with him. The mood of the room had changed completely. No one was smiling anymore and the tea didn't taste as nice. For the next five minutes, the students sat in complete silence, with no one sure of what to say, or how to approach the uncomfortable truth.

Unable to bite her tongue any longer, Maki took it upon herself to speak. "I told you so."

Maki's comment wasn't at all helpful, just irritating. Shuichi was puzzled, struggling to understand the purpose of Maki's remark. Was she simply being arrogant? Or was this her way of highlighting to the students how naive they had been? Having met Maki only a few hours ago, Shuichi had no way of knowing which statement was true.

“You aren’t helping,” Kaito frowned at Maki. “We were wrong, so what?”

“I’m just telling you, that you trusted Kaede’s idea far too quickly,” Maki replied.

“I-I’m sorry everyone.” Kaede lowered her head in shame. “I-I didn't think something like this would happen.”

Kaede was clearly upset, devastated at her actions. Shuichi felt flooded with guilt seeing her look so sad. All along Shuichi had suspected that Kaede's theory was too good to be true. Maki had tried to address the issue, but her harsh attitude had only put people's backs up. If Shuichi had spoken to them calmly, the students probably would have listened, especially with his title of the Ultimate Detective. 

“Stupid bitch.” Miu hissed, shooting Kaede a filthy look from across the table. 

"There is no need for name calling," Kirumi said, in a calm but stern fashion. "We believed in Kaede's idea just as much as she did. If we wanted to disagree with her, she was not stopping us." 

"At least nobody got hurt.." said Rantaro, highlighting the positive. 

It was unsettling how quickly everyone had turned on Kaede. Nearly everyone had supported her idea, but no one was standing by her now that she had been proven wrong. Angie had shared in Kaede's theory just as much, but she seemed to have escaped the blame.

"I mean...do we really believe that Kaede was being honest in the first place?" Kokichi spoke up. "Who's to say she was telling the truth? The whole false hope thing might've been part of her plan to kill someone."

“Don’t be ridiculous." sighed an exasperated Kaito.

“I...I would never do something like that.” insisted Kaede, acting as her own defence.

"There's no way of really knowing, is there?" Kokichi shrugged. "Your word doesn't hold any value to a bunch of strangers."

"Nor does yours." Miu pointed out.

"Exactly, which is why I already told you that I'm a liar," Kokichi smirked, looking pleased with himself.

Kokichi was irritating everyone again, but luckily he was interrupted, putting an end to his attention seeking speech. The dining room monitor had lit up, presenting the Monokubs on the screen. The bears were sipping away at cups of tea, parodying the students.

“This is an announcement from the Ultimate Academy of Gifted Juveniles,” Monotaro said.

“Nighttime has begun since it is officially 10 p.m,” Monophanie added.

“Remember, the dining hall and gym are off access during the night.” Monosuke reminded them.

“You better hurry up and get to bed soon, or someone might come and kill yooou!” Monokid teased.

Monodam said nothing, staring blankly through the screen.

“Bedtime Ursine!” the bears cheered as one.

With that, the screen cut out.

“That announcement seems to have come at the best possible time,” said Kirumi. “It has been a long day, so a good night's rest is exactly what we need."

Tsumugi seemed reluctant at the idea. “We’re really going to sleep here?”

“Doesn’t seem like we have any other choice.” Ryoma shrugged. “Unless you’re gonna pull an all-nighter trying to figure a way out of here.”

“Gonta will do that!” Gonta exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “Gonta will stay up to find exit.”

“I don’t think Ryoma was being literal, Gonta,” Tsumugi said kindly.

“Gonta don't care.” Gonta insisted. "Gonta will help everybody escape!"

It was a sweet gesture, but Shuichi wasn't sure how successful Gonta would be since there were no obvious exits.

“You sure are brave,” Kokichi remarked. “Alone at night, all by yourself on the first day of the killing game. You’re practically asking to be murdered…”

“Kokichi, don’t talk like that!” Tenko snapped. “We're not going to take part in a killing game.”

“Let’s not get heated again,” Rantaro stepped in. “I think it’s time for bed. But it's probably a good idea to meet again first thing tomorrow morning, once we've had some time to sleep on things."

“That sounds like a plan.” Kaito agreed. "We could meet here in the dining hall."

"I shall prepare you all breakfast," promised Kirumi with a smile.

With tomorrow's plan mapped out, the students began to leave the dining hall, one by one.

“Are you coming?” Rantaro asked Shuichi. It seemed that he wanted to walk to the dormitories together.

"In a minute," replied Shuichi. "I want to finish my tea first." even though it had turned cold, the tea was somewhat calming Shuichi's nerves. 

"Y'know, I might get something to eat..." Rantaro muttered, thinking aloud. "I can't remember the last time I ate."

Kirumi offered to make Rantaro something to eat, but he declined, insisting that she took herself off to bed. In the kitchen for no more than two minutes, Rantaro made himself a sandwich, which he sat down to eat at the dining table. Shuichi had finished his tea by this point, but he waited for Rantaro out of politeness. In the short few hours they had known each other, Rantaro already felt like the closest person that Shuichi had to a friend. Since the two boys had woken up together, all their experiences within the strange academy had been shared. 

"Want a bite?" Rantaro asked, offering his sandwich to Shuichi.

"No thank you," Shuichi said, shaking his head. Given everything horrible that had happened that day, he wasn't the slightest bit hungry. He also had a mental image of Monophanie's puke ingrained in his brain, still turning his stomach.

By the time Rantaro finished his sandwich, nearly everyone had trickled out of the dining hall. Excluding the boys, the only person left was Kaede. She was sat nursing her cup of tea, staring off into space. Shuichi had a feeling that she was waiting for everyone else to leave before she did. 

"Okay, I ready to go now," Rantaro announced, brushing the crumbs from around his mouth. "Coming, Shuichi?"

“In a minute,” Shuichi replied.

He glanced over at Kaede, who still showed no signs of leaving. Shuichi couldn't leave Kaede alone in the dining hall when she looked so disheartened. He also saw it as ill-natured to leave her all alone in a killing game, especially during the nighttime hours. He had been sceptical of her idea from the beginning, but he still admired her optimistic thinking and determination. When all seemed lost, Kaede had united the students together, comforting them at a time most vulnerable. Now that the tables had turned, it seemed that no one was there to comfort Kaede.

"Kaede..." he attempted to capture her attention.

"Hmm?" broken from her trance, Kaede turned to face the detective.

"Are you coming to the dormitories?" Shuichi asked.

"Maybe in a minute," Kaede replied, her smile nowhere to be seen.

"I-I know it's not easy, but try not to think about what the others were saying," Shuichi said gently. It felt uncomfortable broaching the subject, but he wanted to give her some reassurance. "To be honest, I think everyone's just a little panicked."

"Plus Kokichi was stirring things," Rantaro added, joining in with their conversation.

"I suppose so," Kaede sighed. "I just wish I'd never said anything; someone could have died."

"But no one did," Rantaro reminded her. "That's what you need to remember."

"Thanks, Rantaro," Kaede said with a sigh. "I think I need to get some sleep."

"Rantaro and I are leaving for the dormitories," Shuichi stated. "Did...did you want to come with us?" Now that it was nighttime, he didn’t want anyone walking alone.

"I think I will." Kaede nodded. 

Rantaro chose to leave his washing up for another time, and so, the three students left the dining hall. It was significantly darker outside than the last time they had ventured out of the building. Now that it was nighttime, the atmosphere felt even more unsettling - not that Shuichi thought it to be possible in the already creepy school. The path to the dormitories was dimly lit by the moonlight. They didn't have far to walk, but Shuichi felt on edge the entire time. Every shadow seemed like a demon in disguise, just waiting to pounce. If Shuichi was alone, he probably would've picked up the pace and jogged inside to escape the feeling of being followed. 

Much to Shuichi's relief, the dormitories were brightly lit, which eased some of the nervous tension. Before turning in to bed, the trio had one last exchange. Shuichi had something on his mind, which he wanted to say. "Kaede...what you did back there...it was really brave. When Monokuma asked for a name, you said your own. I don’t think many people would have done that.”

Kaede didn’t say anything, but she appeared grateful for Shuichi’s kind words, thanking him with a sincere smile.

Shuichi entered his dorm room, taking everything in for the first time. His first impression was actually rather positive. The room was a fairly decent size, much bigger than his bedroom at home. There was a double bed, which looked comfortable, with more pillows provided than he needed. The decor itself was very modern, with a blue and grey theme running throughout. Whoever had decorated this room had even provided Shuichi with a rug, not something he would have expected from a 'prison'. It was little details like these which made his situation feel so strange. The best thing about the room was the ensuite bathroom, which filled Shuichi with an enormous sense of relief. He couldn't think of anything worse than having to use a communal bathroom in the middle of the night during a killing game.

Other features of the room included some very empty shelves, a desk, a wardrobe, and a television. Once again, this took Shuichi by surprise, as he didn't expect to be entertained here. There was a monitor in the corner of his room, with a security camera attached, reminding Shuichi that he was being watched at all times. The item that caught Shuichi's attention most was a telephone, which had been placed on his desk. Shuichi made a beeline for the telephone, desperate to communicate with the outside world. He hurriedly dialled his Uncle's phone number, which he knew off by heart, and picked up the receiver with a shaking hand. Unfortunately, the phone didn't work, and when he placed it to his ear, he was greeted by a dull beep, which made it clear that he wouldn't be speaking to his Uncle anytime soon. Shuichi knew that it was his own fault for getting his hopes up, but he couldn't help feeling disappointed. 

Drained and disheartened, the detective knew that it was time to go to bed. He decided to search the wardrobe first, in hopes of finding some pyjamas. Inside the wardrobe, lined up along the rail, were twenty separate outfits, each one neatly ironed. All twenty outfits were completely identical to the one that Shuichi was currently wearing. Thankfully, he also found several pairs of pyjamas. He was pleased to know that he wouldn't have to sleep in his underwear, especially with the security camera watching him. Shuichi got dressed, slipping into the royal blue pyjamas, which were made of satin. They were a little baggy, but he wasn't going to complain. The material felt incredible luxurious against his skin. Considering he was thought of as a criminal, he didn't understand why he was being treated to such high-quality clothes. 

Shuichi neatly folded his clothes over the desk chair and placed his hat on one of the empty shelves. Upon inspecting the shelf, Shuichi noticed a golden key, which he had missed previously. There was a small keychain attached, with Shuichi's name printed on it. This was clearly the key to his room, so Shuichi ensured he locked up before getting into bed, as he didn't want any uninvited guests paying him a visit during the night.

Finally ready bed, Shuichi pulled back the covers and climbed in. As he lay there, staring at the ceiling, he couldn't help but wonder where he had fallen asleep the night before. His memories were a blur, so he had no idea whether he'd been at home, or perhaps in a prison cell. Without his memories, he was clueless to the truth. It was bothering him...frustrating him. What on earth had he done to deserve this? 

Washed out from an exhausting afternoon, it didn't take long for Shuichi to fall asleep. His mind was able to dream instead of creating endless questions in regards to his current situation. Hopefully, tomorrow would be better. 

 

***

 

_*Ding dong, bing bong*_

The next morning, Shuichi found himself woken by the Monokubs. They yelled at him to ‘Rise and Shine’ in unison through the monitor in his room.

“This is an announcement from the Ultimate Academy of Gifted Juveniles!” Monophanie said. “It’s 8 a.m., time to get up and face the beautiful day ahead.”

“I think you mean the beautifully bloody day ahead!” Monokid teased. “I wonder if there’s already a body this morning...”

As the Monokubs vanished off screen, Shuichi couldn’t help but shudder. What if someone really had died during the night? It seemed too soon for the killing game to have begun, but Shuichi didn't know the other students well enough to predict their actions. He crossed his fingers, hoping that everyone would arrive at the dining hall for breakfast.

Before getting in the shower, Shuichi helped himself to some clean clothes from his wardrobe. He wasn't quite sure why every outfit in his wardrobe was identical. It would have been nice to have some variety, because his limited selection made him feel like a cartoon character. That being said, he was grateful for the spare clothes, as he hadn’t seen any washing machines around the academy.

He washed as quickly as he could, desperate to get to the dining hall. If somebody had been murdered, Shuichi wasn’t sure what he would do. The concept of the class trial sounded horrific and he sincerely hoped it was something that he’d never have to face. It was scary just how real everything was beginning to feel.

Although he was eager to leave after his shower, Shuichi took a few minutes to prepare himself before going to the dining hall. He decided to make his bed, as to keep to a routine. He also retrieved his hat off of the shelf, securely placing it on his head. With that, he unlocked his door, ready to face the music.

The dormitories were pretty deserted. The only person around was Korekiyo, who had emerged from his room at the same time as Shuichi. “Good morning, Shuichi.”

“Good morning,” Shuichi replied politely. “Are you going to the dining hall?”

“Indeed I am.” Korekiyo nodded, slipping his dormitory key into his trouser pocket. “I suggest that you lock your door. Unless you wish to leave it open for any unexpected visitors."

Shuichi turned his back to Korekiyo for a second, as he fiddled with the key. Under no circumstances was he going to leave his room unlocked. “How did you sleep?” he asked, taking the time to make small talk.

“Surprisingly well,” Korekiyo replied. “Although, I did not appreciate the Monokubs’ wake up call this morning.”

Shuichi walked with Korekiyo out of the dormitories and towards the main school building. They didn’t have much in common, but there was only one pressing topic at hand: the killing game. They bumped into Tsumugi halfway up the path. She was standing around outside, appreciating the morning sun.

“Oh...good morning…” Tsumugi said, only half paying attention to the boys.

Shuichi could tell that something was distracting her. “Is everything okay, Tsumugi?”

Tsumugi opened up to him, voicing her concerns. “I’m just a bit worried after hearing the announcement from the Monokubs,” she let out a deep sigh. “What if someone really did die during the night?”

“Kehehe, now wouldn’t that be interesting,” Korekiyo remarked.

It seemed that Korekiyo wasn’t the reassuring type, as he only worried Tsumugi further. Shuichi tried to think of something supportive to say. “Why don’t you come along to the dining hall? Hopefully, everything will okay. The sooner everyone is together, the sooner we can find out.”

“That’s a good idea,” Tsumugi replied. “Apparently Kirumi has made breakfast for everyone.”

The three of them continued on with their journey. As they got closer to their destination, Shuichi began to wonder where he should have knocked for Kaede. After yesterday's hostility, things were likely to be very uncomfortable for her in a group situation. He could only hope that no one was being too hard on her. 

When Shuichi opened the door to the dining hall, he was greeted by the wonderful smell of pastries. Courtesy of Kirumi, a fantastic spread had been laid out on the table. There was a wide selection of food, including: fresh fruit, french toast, bread pudding, yoghurt and granola, pancakes, sticky rice, and cereal. It looked like a feast for Kings, making Shuichi feel like royalty rather than a criminal. He had never experienced something quite like this before. 

Before he could enjoy the food, there was a more important matter at hand. Shuichi took a quick glance around the room, taking a head count. Including himself, he counted sixteen people, which meant everyone had turned up for breakfast. Despite the unsettling Monokub announcement that morning, nobody had died. Knowing that no one had been murdered during the night instantly lifted Shuichi's spirit. 

There were only a few empty seats left at the table, so Shuichi placed himself between Keebo and Gonta, as they had both given good first impressions yesterday. Shuichi looked across the table at Kaede, to make sure she was okay. She was sandwiched between Angie and Kirumi. All three were smiling and engaged in a conversation, so that was a good sign.

Shuichi's appetite had returned that morning, so he began to stack his plate with pancakes and fresh fruit. "Kirumi, did you make all of this?" he eyed up the food in front of him.

“I did.” Kirumi nodded. “Please let me know if it is not to your liking, and I can prepare you something else.”

“This is more than enough,” Shuichi replied gratefully.

He wasn't sure how Kirumi had been able to make so many dishes all by herself. Had she gotten up extra early to cater for all of the students? This was the only possibility that Shuichi could think of. She really was the Ultimate Maid. 

It seemed that a good night's sleep had done wonders for the group, as yesterday's hostility seemed to have disappeared. The atmosphere was certainly much lighter, which made for a pleasant change. There had been no arguments yet, and the majority of the students were engaged in friendly conversations. Rantaro was busy talking to Kaito, although he gave Shuichi a small wave from across the table.

“Kaede, would you like some yoghurt?” Kokichi asked, offering her the bowl with a sickly sweet smile.

"Oh, no thank you." Kaede politely declined. 

Shuichi was pleasantly surprised by Kokichi’s actions, as he had been so rude to Kaede last night.

“Are you sure?” Kokichi cocked his head. 

“Why are you being so nice?” Tenko narrowed her eyebrows, clearly suspicious.

“I want to make sure Kaede is okay after last night,” Kokichi explained. “Everyone was pretty harsh on her.”

“You especially!” Tenko exclaimed, her disliking towards Kokichi only growing.

Kokichi shrugged. “Don’t you feel bad either? You were all over Kaede when she had a solution for this giant mess, but the minute we found out she was wrong, you turned on her like wolves.”

“Let’s not start off today with another argument," Kirumi said gently.

“But don’t you feel bad for Kaede?” Kokichi went on, refusing to drop the issue. “She was even willing to sacrifice herself to Monokuma.”

Shuichi began to suspect that Kokichi was only sticking up for Kaede to cause drama. Kokichi himself had been just as cruel, so it wasn’t really his place to judge the others.

“Kirumi’s right, let’s not talk about this,” said Kaede. “If we argue, we’re just creating a division among ourselves. We need to stay united if we want to beat Monokuma.”

“I hope you don’t mean literally…” Shuichi muttered. As long as the exisals were around, Shuichi refused to so much as glare at Monokuma.

The students returned to their breakfast, having put yesterday's falling out behind them. A few minutes passed by before Kaito spoke up, with something new to think about. "Y’know, I had a thought last night. Don’t you think our families are looking for us?”

“They must have noticed we’re missing.” Himiko agreed. 

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Kaito grinned, looking pleased that someone shared in his idea. "We can hope to be rescued." 

“What if our families already know that we’re here?” Korekiyo challenged them. “Perhaps they want us behind bars.”

"Our families wouldn't consent to a killing game, surely not!" Keebo exclaimed. 

Kokichi raised an eyebrow. "Keeboy has a family?" 

"Professor Idabashi is like a father to me," Keebo replied. "He would never agree to something like this." 

Shuichi hadn't formed an opinion on the matter yet. On the one hand, if they were accused of being criminals, it was unlikely that their families had the power to come and rescue them. However, on the other hand, he couldn't imagine his Uncle just sitting by and condoning the killing game. Unless their families knew that they were in prison, but were unaware of the killing game that had been forced upon the students. There were just so many possibilities. 

“You all look so gloomy,” Angie observed, taking a break from the food she was eating. "You do not have to feel this way." 

"It's don't think it's a choice..." Tsumugi said. 

"What shit are you chatting?" Miu rolled her eyes, appearing instantly unimpressed. 

"Atua came to me this morning, reminding me that we must look on the bright side of this situation," Angie explained.

Ryoma was doubtful. "There's a bright side?" 

"Just because we are trapped here, things do not have to be so bad. Atua is looking down on us, blessing us with great food, a warm bed to sleep in, and new friends." Angie said peacefully. 

"Atua is kind." Gonta nodded eagerly. "Gonta loved breakfast." 

"I think you should be thanking Kirumi, not Atua..." Rantaro muttered. 

"The Ultimate Academy is a beautiful building, if you can look past the weeds." Angie went on. "We should appreciate our time here. If we try hard enough, it can become paradise...a heaven on earth."

“You want me to just give up and die here?” Miu scowled. “My genius brain can’t rot away in here, even if you’re okay with it happenin’ to you. Not that your brain has much to lose..." 

"Making our life here paradise is not giving up," Angie shook her head. "We are rebuilding life as we know it. Atua says this is the way forward." 

"That sounds like giving up to me." Miu snapped. 

"I don't think Angie is telling us to give up," Kaede reasoned. "She's saying until our situation gets better, we might as well make the most of things." 

Shuichi understood what the girls were saying: things could be so much worse. Considering the students were thought of as criminals, they still had a lot of freedom. It still surprised Shuichi that he wasn't locked up in a cell with a chain around his ankle. Their situation was horrific, but they had to try and look on the bright side in times so troubling. If they only focused on the negatives, it would be easy to fall into despair. 

"Do you really think things will get better?" Maki frowned. "I can't see Monokuma changing his mind anytime soon." 

"I can't see him changing his mind, full stop," Ryoma said. 

“I can’t ever see it getting better…” Tsumugi sighed, shaking her head a little. 

"That reminds me," Rantaro said, changing the subject. "Gonta, did you actually stay up last night to look for exits?" 

Given his moment to shine, Gonta jumped up from his seat, his eyes alive with hope. "Gonta did! Gonta found one!"

“W-what?!” Kaito spat, spraying an unimpressed Tenko with crumbs.

Miu seemed desperate for information. “What did you find?! Tell me already." 

Shuichi felt his heart racing with nervous excitement. Could Gonta really have found a way for them to escape? 

"Gonta found manhole," Gonta revealed, eager to share his news. "In boiler room outside." 

“A manhole?!” Kaito exclaimed. “Did you take off the cover?”

Gonta nodded some more. “Gonta look. Big underground passage.”

“A passage?” Shuichi repeated. His heart began to race even faster; this really sounded promising.

“Gonta, did you see anything else?” Tsumugi asked.

Gonta shook his head this time. “Gonta not go any further. Gonta wait for all of you!”

"You've known about this since last night and you're only just telling us now?!" Miu ranted, seriously impressed with Gonta. "Fuckin' idiot." 

“H-huh?!” Gonta was taken aback, startled by Miu's harsh words. “Gonta was helpful. G-gonta was gentleman.”

“You would’ve been helpful if you’d told us earlier!” Miu snapped. “Monokuma or the Kubs prolly saw you fishin’ around and closed up the exit.”

"I agree," Maki said. "You should have told us as soon as you discovered the passageway." 

“But everyone sleeping.” Gonta protested. 

“So wake us up. It’s not fuckin’ rocket science.” Miu growled aggressively.

“Gentleman would never do that.” Gonta insisted, still defending his actions. 

"I think Gonta made the right decision," Kirumi disagreed. "I'm sure it would arouse more suspicion if Monokuma saw all of us wandering around during the nighttime hours." 

“If Gonta knocked at my door during the night, I don’t think I’d have answered,” Tsumugi admitted. "That's just plain scary!"

"I wouldn't trust any degenerate at my door, even during the day!" Tenko ranted. 

“What’s done is done,” Rantaro said. “Why don’t we go and look at the manhole for ourselves? It might not be too late.”

It was a sensible suggestion, so the sixteen students abandoned Kirumi’s well-prepared breakfast in favour of a possible escape route. Kaito marched to the front of the group with Gonta, leading the way, whilst Shuichi found himself towards the back of the line with Rantaro and Kaede. It was his first chance properly speaking to them that morning. 

“I hope we don’t draw Monokuma’s attention,” Kaede whispered.

“Or the Kubs’,” Shuichi added. “They’re always springing up out of nowhere."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they're already watching us through the security cameras," Rantaro remarked. "I swear wherever I go, those things are pointing at me." 

"I've noticed that too," Kaede shuddered. "I can't escape the feeling that I'm always being watched." 

"If we are being watched then we better hurry," Shuichi said. "Otherwise, whoever is watching us might come and pay us a visit..." 

It didn't take long to reach the boiler room, with the excitement of a possible escape on everyone's mind. The students gathered around the manhole that Gonta had described. The cover had already been removed, discarded on the overgrown grass. Shuichi peered down the hole, but all he could see was darkness. 

"Gonta, did you take off the manhole cover?" Kaede asked. "Or is this Monokuma's doing?"  

“Gonta left it open," Gonta explained. "Gonta want everyone to look together." 

“Are you slow?!” Miu barked. “Now it’s even more fuckin’ obvious that you’ve been here."

“Monokuma might realise that we’re onto him.” Himiko agreed.

“Then, in that case, we better hurry up.” Kaito persisted. “It looks like there's a ladder that leads down into the manhole. Who wants to go down first?" 

Shuichi couldn’t help but wonder if anyone _wanted_ to go down there at all. There was no knowing where the darkness led to. 

“I’ll go.” Maki volunteered herself, unphased at the idea.

“Maki, are you sure?” Tenko asked. “I think one of the boys should go down first to make sure that it isn’t dangerous!”

“I don’t need anyone looking out for me,” Maki said cooly. "I'm perfectly capable." 

Before anyone could convince her otherwise, Maki approached the manhole and lowered herself onto the ladder rungs. A few of the students, including Shuichi, peered down the gap, watching as Maki swiftly climbed down the ladder. She quickly vanished out of sight, so Shuichi listened out for the sound of her boots hitting the metal rungs to ensure that she was okay.

Once she had reached the bottom, Maki called up to the others, her voice echoing in the hollow space. "All clear. It's safe to come down."

One by one, the remaining students filed down into the manhole. No one stepped foot on the ladder until it was completely clear, to minimise the chance of any accidents. Shuichi took his turn shortly after Maki, wanting to get the climb over and done with. He cautiously lowered himself onto the rungs, which were cold against his hands. Shuichi clung onto the rungs for dear life, aware of the horrible fate that awaited him if he fell. The further underground Shuichi went, the darker things became. The only source of light came from the manhole, which was now high above his head, highlighting how far down he'd climbed. Thankfully, Shuichi soon reached the ground. He joined the small group of students who were already underground, as they waited for the others to join them. It didn't take long to get everyone under ground. 

“It’s so dark down here,” Tsumugi shuddered. “And cold too.” she wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. 

“At least it’s not claustrophobic,” Kaede remarked, looking around the open space. 

It was spacious underground, with a lot more room than Shuichi had expected. It was rather deserted, besides from a few sharp hooks that were hanging from the ceiling. However, there was only one thing that the students were interested in: an industrial passageway, with an exit sign pointing towards it. 

"Look at that sign over there!" Angie cheered, pointing to the exit sign. "How nice of Atua to prepare that for us. Isn't he considerate!" 

"Hmm..." Ryoma stared at the sign sceptically. "Something about that is off." 

"It does seem a bit obvious." Tenko scratched her head. 

“I was thinking that too.” Shuichi agreed. “If this is supposedly a hidden exit that Monokuma has forgotten about, why is it signposted?”

“I already told you!” Angie insisted. “Atua left it here for us.”

“Maybe Monokuma doesn’t know this passageway exists,” Keebo reasoned. “Whoever owned this building before Monokuma might have left it.”

"From the industrial passageway, I suspect that factories once operated here," Kirumi said. "Perhaps the factory workers are responsible for the sign." 

Shuichi wasn’t convinced, but at least Kirumi's theory was plausible, unlike Angie’s.

“Why are we still standing around?” Miu complained. “I wanna get out of here!”

"What are we going to do?" Tsumugi asked, looking to her classmates for advice. "Do we trust the sign or not?"

"Hmmm," Kaede paused, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "I know the sign may seem strange, but I don't want to live in regret by not taking the risk." 

If the students turned their backs now, and it really was a hidden exit, they would live forever in regret. Shuichi had a strange feeling about the tunnel, but escaping was never going to be easy.  

"Remember, we're sixteen Ultimates," Kaede said encouragingly. "No matter what we find in the tunnel, I'm sure that we can overcome it if we work together." 

“It would be impossible for the Exisals to fit down the manhole, so I think we’re pretty safe,” Kaito said.

"There is nothing to worry about," Angie smiled. "This is all Atua's work." 

"So...what happens if we escape?" Himiko frowned. "Won't we just get arrested again?" 

Truthfully, this wasn't something Shuichi had taken the time to think about. 

"Maybe...but I think meeting with someone on the outside world would do us some good," Rantaro said. "For all we know, this entire killing game could've been orchestrated by some crazed lunatic. Hopefully, by escaping this place, we'll get some answers. If we do get arrested again, at least we know it's legit." 

"If we escape, I'll be rescued by my secret organisation and kept in hiding," Kokichi shared. "The rest of you will probably be recaptured though. Sorry!"

"Can't your secret organisation keep us hidden too?" Tenko asked. "Not that I'm relying on a degenerate..." 

"Nope, you'd only be a burden. They're too powerful for you," Kokichi replied. "There might be room for Keeboy though, if he's willing to dedicate his life to free labour." 

"I-I don't think so!" Keebo stammered. 

"If your organisation is so powerful, why haven't they rescued you already?" Tenko narrowed her eyes. 

Kokichi didn't have to think of an excuse, thanks to an impatient outburst from Miu. "We're not gonna escape if we keep standin' here. Fuckin' move already!" the Inventor complained, pushing her way to the front. Without waiting for anybody else, she stepped into the tunnel and began to walk away from the group. This left the others with no choice but to follow her, as they couldn't afford to get separated. 

Shuichi found himself right behind Miu, putting him at the forefront of the action. They were experiencing everything together for the first time, which was rather nervewracking. The passage was narrow, forcing the students to walk in single file. The path ahead was surprisingly bright, which struck Shuichi as odd. At least the students could see where they were going. 

It didn't take long for the first obstacle to present itself: a tall iron gate blocked their path. It was heavy, but those at the front of the line worked together to force it open. With the gate no longer an issue, the students continued on with their escape. Everything seemed to be going okay, until Miu suddenly froze in her tracks, squealing loudly. "Shit!" 

"Ah!" Shuichi smacked into the back of her, having received no warning that she was going to suddenly stop. 

"Watch it Pooichi!" Miu snapped. 

"S-sorry," Shuichi apologised. "I didn't expect you to stop like that." 

"What's the holdup?" Kaito shouted from the back of the line.

"Is everything okay?" Rantaro called. 

"Have we reached a dead end?" Himiko nosed.

"I-I think I just stood on a trap door!" Miu exclaimed, trembling where she stood. "The path in front of me just disappeared when I stepped on it." 

"It can't have just disappeared." Tenko frowned. 

"Well, it has." Miu retorted aggressively. "It just crumbled in on itself as soon as I stood on it."

"Then how are you still alive?" Kokichi challenged her.

"Because I only touched it with the tip of my shoe," Miu argued.

Shuichi looked ahead to see what Miu was talking about. The Ultimate Inventor was on the edge of the pathway, just inches from the edge. If she took one more step, she would fall, and Shuichi didn't know how far. The path continued on further ahead, but a large leap was required to reach it. 

"I-it seems like we'll have to j-jump if we wish to carry on," Shuichi stated, coming to terms with the decision they faced. 

“Jump!?” Miu cried. “I can’t jump that far.”

"If you don't jump, then we'll have to turn back," Shuichi said, facing the facts.

“But...but what if I fall?” Miu protested.

“Then I should imagine you would fall a great height and your body would break in several places. There's also a high chance that you would snap your neck or spine.” Korekiyo said casually.

“Shut up you creep!” Miu hissed. “I’m not doing that. I’m the gorgeous girl genius, I’m not wasting my life over this. I have too much potential, I can't die young!”

“But what if this is our only chance to escape?” Keebo said, his voice filled with concern. "Are we really going to give up?"

"We can't give up." Kaede pleaded.

"Well, then one of you fuckin' do it," Miu ranted. "I'm not gonna be your human sacrifice!" 

“Worry not, I shall attempt the jump,” Korekiyo volunteered nobly. “I believe that I have a fairly good chance of making it across alive. If I am successful, that may encourage the rest of you to follow." 

Korekiyo made his way to the front of the line, so he could swap places with Miu. Shuichi pressed his back against the wall as tightly as he could, allowing the Anthropologist to pass through. Korekiyo stood at the edge of the ledge, studying the distance he would have to jump. After a minute or two of consideration, he ushered everyone to take a few steps back, allowing him to make a run-up.  

"A-are you sure you want to do this?" Tsumugi's voice wobbled. "If you fall, it's going to be plain awful." 

"I shall be fine," Korekiyo reassured her. "But I would appreciate it if everyone could remain silent." 

Everyone waited with baited breath as Korekiyo ran towards the ledge. Just before he reached the edge, he tucked in his legs, leaping over the looming gap. With incredible luck, Korekiyo made it to the other side, landing steadily with success. 

“Well done, Korekiyo!” applauded Angie. "Atua is proud of you." 

However, the celebration didn't last for long. No sooner had Korekiyo reached the other side, a huge ball of fire shot up from the empty space where he had jumped. It took everyone by surprise, separating Korekiyo and the rest of the students.

“Woah!” Rantaro gasped.

After a few seconds, the flames dropped in height, so they were now level with the pathway. Meaning, if anyone else attempted the jump but failed, they would be eaten alive by the fire. 

“A-are you kidding me?!” Miu whimpered. “I shoulda gone first!”

“What are we going to do now?” Himiko sighed.

“We have to keep going,” Kaede insisted. “We’re trying to escape!”

“Kaede, are you blind?” Kokichi replied. “There's literal fire blocking our path.”

“The fire is only going to affect us if we fall. We won't touch it if we successfully make the jump,” Kaede promised. “Korekiyo made the jump perfectly fine.”

“It was challenging, but not impossible,” Korekiyo called out from the other side.

Tenko tried to encourage the others, but she didn't seem confident herself. "I-I'm sure we'll be okay!" 

"If we burn off our legs then we're never getting out of here," Ryoma remarked. 

"If we turn back now, we're trapped in a killing game," Kaede said, attempting to fill the group with confidence. "I know it looks scary, but I believe we have fairly good chances of overcoming this obstacle. I think we should keep going.”

"It would be a shame to give up now," Keebo agreed. "This might be our only chance out of here." 

“M-maybe I’ll give it a go in a minute…” Miu backed up. “Pooichi, you go first.”

“Why me?” Shuichi cried, unimpressed at being volunteered.

"Isn't it your fuckin' job to protect society?" Miu barked.

"T-that's the job of the Police, not a Detective." Shuichi corrected her.

“Whatever.” Miu huffed. “Just fuckin’ jump! Don’t be a pussy.”

Shuichi gritted his teeth and chose not to answer back. He didn’t want to be Miu's guinea pig, but they had to make constant progress, or Monokuma might find them. The thought of being burnt alive was terrifying, so Shuichi tried his best to remain calm and rational. The flames didn't rise any higher than the ledge, so as long as Shuichi made the jump, he would be fine. He just had to tuck his knees in high enough. 

“Okay…” Shuichi took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the task ahead. He took a few steps back, copying Korekiyo and allowing himself to make a run-up. Without any further hesitation, he began to run, ready to make the jump.

“Ahhhh!”

There was an ear piercing scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stayed tuned for the next chapter, where Monokuma will reveal the first motive! 
> 
> Thanks for reading ^_^


	3. The First Motive (1.2)

A violent scream caused Shuichi to stop dead in his tracks. He was mere inches from the edge, so close to the fire that he could feel his eyebrows burning. 

“W-what the?!” Shuichi cried, attempting to catch his breath. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. "W-what's going on? I-I almost fell." 

“Sorry man, it was me.” Kaito apologised awkwardly, ruffling his hand through his hair.

"K-Kaito?!" Shuichi exclaimed. The Astronaut was not who he'd pictured as the screamer.

"We've got a guest and they made me jump..." Kaito admitted. "Stuff like this really gives me the creeps."

Shuichi turned around to face those behind him, backing away from the edge as he did so. A tubby black and white bear had made its way into the group, blending in amongst the students. 

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” Monokuma frowned. 

Shuichi's heart sank; the sight of the bear was genuinely crushing.

“You guys shouldn't be in here anyway!” Monokuma growled. “This isn’t an exit.”

"But the sign..." Himiko protested.

“Oh, that’s just an old prop.” Monokuma laughed. “I must’ve left it lying around. Oops.”

“How can you just laugh like that?” Kaede scowled. “We were risking our lives in here.”

“You should actually be thanking me," Monokuma remarked. "I could’ve let you get all the way to the end before telling you guys that you’re on the path to nowhere.” 

“Don’t act like you’re doing us a favour.” Kaito snapped.

"I'm the one who should be angry here; you've invaded my tunnel!" Monokuma retorted. "But maybe you'll cheer up, cuz I'm here with an announcement." 

"We don't wanna hear it." Miu snapped, turning her back to the bear in protest.

"Too bad, cuz you're gonna!" Monokuma flashed his teeth, his aggressive side showing. "It seems that you're all getting a little too comfortable in here. Your hesitance to kill is BORING! It's depressing to watch you all give up on the killing game when it's only your first full day. Maybe some of you are feeling reluctant to kill, even though, with your memories you'd be bloodthirsty murderers! Sooo, I'm here to give you a little nudge of assistance." 

"No one wants any assistance; we aren't going to kill each other," Kaito argued. 

Monokuma ignored the Astronaut, continuing on with his speech. "I'm here to introduce a fundamental part of the killing game." he went on. "This is your first motive! Which should encourage you to start getting your hands dirty.”

“Y-you’ve prepared motives for us?” Tsumugi gasped.

“Just like bears, motives come in all shapes and sizes, good and bad,” Monokuma said. “They’re motivation for murder!"

“The killing game doesn’t need any more layers to it.” Tenko protested.

“I’m now going to announce the first motive, so make you’re listening, because I’m only going to say it once,” Monokuma warned them. “This motive is called ‘Hell on Earth’. That’s right! ‘Hell on Earth’.”

“I thought you were only saying it once…” Himiko noticed Monokuma’s mistake.

Monokuma ignored the Mage and went on to explain what his motive involved. “You seem to be under the impression that life at the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles could be heaven on earth if you try hard enough. Well, nuh-uh, you're not turning my killing game into a paradise. From now on, living conditions within the academy are going to become rather...challenging.”

“What does that mean?" Rantaro asked. 

“Oh, you’ll soon find out,” Monokuma promised him with a smirk. “I don’t want to reveal anything yet, because spoilers are sooo annoying! But let’s just say, you’ll be begging for things to go back to normal. If you want things to return as they once were, you must commit murder! There is no other way to put an end to this motive."

“We wouldn’t commit murder over something like that!” Kaede insisted passionately.

“Famous last words.” Monokuma retorted. “You don’t even know what you’re going to be dealing with yet."

"Whatever it is, we can overcome it together!" Kaito exclaimed, backing Kaede.

Kokichi shuddered. "Jeez, you make me cringe."

"Anyway, now that my announcement is over, I want you out of my tunnel!" Monokuma demanded, suddenly extending his claws as a threat.

“You...you expect us to turn back?” Tenko said weakly.

“Yup,” Monokuma replied, offering no sympathy. “Off you go!”

“But Korekiyo is trapped by the flames!” Keebo pointed out. "He's made the jump to the other side of the ledge."

“That’s not my problem.” Monokuma shrugged.

"Korekiyo keep going," Gonta suggested. 

"I already told you, this tunnel doesn't lead anywhere," Monokuma growled. "If Korekiyo doesn't leave in the next minute with the rest of you, then there's going to be trouble."

“I shall be fine…” Korekiyo said. “I made this jump once before, I am sure I can make it again." 

The students stood frozen, watching as Korekiyo took a run-up towards the ledge. As he made the jump, he tucked in his knees as much as he could, protecting himself from the flames. He landed on the other side in a heap, his shoes skidding against the dust and dirt. He was likely going to have a nasty bruise, but at least he had survived the flames. He got up from the floor and dusted himself down. 

"Phew!" Gonta gasped.

“It looks like we’re turning back then.” Shuichi sighed.

"Too right you are," Monokuma said. "I'm going back to the school, but I'll be watching, so I'll know if one of you punks doesn't return." with that, Monokuma vanished out of sight.

The journey out of the tunnel felt incredibly depressing. All hopes of an escape were gone and now they were stuck with a motive from Monokuma. Defeated, there was dirt in their nails and sweat soaking their hair. Thankfully, there were no other obstacles to face, so everyone made it out alive and unharmed. 

“Hell on Earth, huh…” Kaito mused over the motive's name. “Anything with hell in the title is never gonna be good.”

"Monokuma must've been listening to our conversation in the dining hall," Rantaro said. "He used the exact phrase of 'heaven on earth'." 

"He definitely created that motive because of what we said this morning." Shuichi agreed.

"I keep forgetting there are cameras everywhere," Tsumugi sighed. 

"From now on, we must be extra careful what we discuss," Keebo said. "Anything we say is getting listened to by Monokuma." 

"I don't see any cameras down here," Tenko said, looking around the open space.

"Me either," Ryoma said. "But somehow, Monokuma still knew we were down here." 

"Probably because we discussed coming here in the dining tall." Rantaro pointed out.

"Or perhaps there is a hidden camera somewhere," Kaede suggested. "Every room in the school is under surveillance with security cameras." 

"Not every room," Maki disagreed. "There aren't any security cameras in the library." 

"Really?" replied Kaede in surprise. "I hadn't noticed."

Shuichi hadn't noticed either. When in the library, all of his attention had been on the strange bookshelf. Something was definitely suspicious. 

"We do not need to worry about Monokuma's motive," Angie said calmly. "Atua will protect us."

It was a sweet gesture, but Shuichi didn’t have much faith in ‘Atua’.

“We should try and think about what this motive might entail,” Kirumi said. “That way, it will not come as such a shock to us.”

"It will do well to prepare." Korekiyo agreed. 

“Monokuma said that our living conditions are going to become challenging,” Rantaro said. “So something that will affect our wellbeing?”

“Sleeping habits and eating habits will probably be affected,” Kokichi said. 

“That does sound like hell.” Himiko sighed.

“If you idiots hadn’t been talking about all your positive mumbo jumbo bullshit, we wouldn’t be in this position.” Miu scowled. “Monokuma even called the motive ‘Hell on Earth’ cuz Angie kept talking about heaven.” she glared at the Artist. If looks could kill, Angie would definitely be the first victim of the killing game.

"Our conversation might have given Monokuma an idea, but I think a motive was coming regardless," Ryoma said. "He called them a fundamental part of the killing game." 

"We have to stop turning on each other when something bad happens," Kaede sighed. "This isn't Angie's fault. We weren't to know that Monokuma would prepare a motive. We have to stick together."

“You’re all talk now, but wait until the motive actually kicks in.” Kokichi taunted her. “You don’t know what’s going to happen to us, so how can you act so confidently?”

“We have to stay strong!” Kaede insisted. “If we don’t, we'll fall apart, and someone could give in to the killing game. We have to work together to figure a way ou-" 

Kokichi cut her short. “You still don’t seem to get it, do you?! There isn’t a way out! We’re criminals, not victims. Nobody is coming to rescue us; we’re probably hated by society. Can you stop trying to fill everyone with false hope?! It’s not motivational, it’s just annoying.”

Kokichi's sharp words sent the room into silence. Shuichi felt physically uncomfortable with tensions so high. Even though the comment wasn't aimed at him, he was still affected by Kokichi's truthful words. 'They weren't victims, they were criminals'. It was unrealistic to hope to be rescued. If only Shuichi knew what he was guilty of, things might've felt easier if he wasn't in the unknown. 

The atmosphere felt sour after Kokichi's harsh wake-up call, so the students decided to separate for some peace, desperate to escape the manhole. Most of the students went off without revealing where they were going. Shuichi planned on visiting the basement. Ever since stepping foot in the library yesterday, the mysterious bookcase had been eating away at him. He had been desperate to explore its secrets and now seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. 

“I think I need something to drink,” Kaede said, lightly touching her throat. She looked a little upset. "But I might wait a minute. I'd rather not bump into Kokichi again."  

“My mouth feels so dry after the tunnel.” Rantaro agreed.

“Shuichi, did you want to come to the dining hall?” Kaede asked.

Despite feeling thirsty too, Shuichi couldn’t accept their offer. “N-no, I think I’m going lay down for a bit.” the lie came straight off his tongue. “This whole situation has given me a headache.” he didn’t enjoy lying, but if he told them that he was going to the library, they might insist on joining him, which would then prevent him from investigating the bookcase.

"I hope your headache eases soon," Kaede said kindly.

Shuichi said his goodbyes and quickly made his way out of the underground space. It was much easier climbing up the ladder rungs, as Shuichi was heading towards the light. He walked at a brisk pace towards the main school building, aware that Kaede and Rantaro may spot him on their journey to the dining hall. Fortunately for Shuichi, the coast remained clear, so he was able to arrive at the basement without getting caught.

Shuichi opened the door to the library, relieved to see that it was empty. The library was all his, but he still had to remain guarded. The library doors could not be locked, so Shuichi was well aware that someone could walk in on him at any minute. He had to work efficiently if he wanted to investigate as much as possible undetected. In case someone did burst in, the Detective prepared a cover story that he was just looking for something interesting to read.

He approached the puzzling bookcase and looked closely. This was the only bookcase in the room that remained empty on top, which made it stick out like a sore thumb in comparison to the rest. Straight away, Shuichi noticed some strange markings on the floor, where the carpet in front of the shelf had worn away. For marks like these to appear, there must have been some form of friction against the carpet. The Detective knelt on the floor and traced the marks with his finger.

"Could...could it be?" he whispered. 

The marks indicated that something heavy had moved back and forth over that particular patch of carpet. What if the marks had come from the movement of the bookshelf? What if this was some kind of secret door? It seemed a little cheesy and oldfashioned, but he wasn't going to rule out any theories in a school with a teddy bear for a headmaster.

If this was a moving bookcase, then how did it work? Perhaps one of the books was the key. Shuichi began to pull books from the shelf, starting at the bottom, curious to see if he could trigger a secret mechanism. He had never encountered a moving bookcase before, but this is how he'd seen it done in the movies.

Unfortunately, he wasn't having any luck; each book he had removed so far had been unsuccessful. He had tested the bottom four shelves without any results, and the remaining three were too high to reach without assistance. As Shuichi stood there, debating whether or not to bring over the library ladder, he began to think. If this really was a moving bookshelf, placing the opening mechanism on one of the higher shelves seemed like a questionable decision. Having to fetch a ladder didn't seem very secretive, defeating the objective of a hidden door. 

Thinking outside of the box, Shuichi left the books alone and felt around in the gaps of the bookshelf instead. It didn't take long for his fingers to stumble over a small button. Shuichi pressed the button and the door began to rumble. He jumped back and watched as the bookcase moved forward right in front of him. It swung open to reveal a secret door, just as the Detective had suspected.

The secret door was painted half black and half white, resembling Monokuma. It came to Shuichi's attention just how rushed the paint job looked. The door was clearly in need of more than one coat of paint, as he could see hints of brown wood underneath. Additionally, the line separating the two colours was wonky. Whoever had transformed the door had clearly been in a rush. 

The door didn't have a handle, so Shuichi looked around for an alternative. The alternative happened to be a silver machine, installed next to the door. At first, Shuichi believed it to be a card reader, but he soon changed his mind, instead, recognising the device as a biometric hand reader. Out of curiosity, Shuichi pressed his hand against the reader, but as expected, a light on the reader flashed red and he was denied entry. 

Shuichi stood there stumped, and within fifteen seconds of his idle behaviour, the secret bookshelf started to rumble again, closing itself without any assistance. The door vanished out of sight, leaving him to stare at the books once again. Shuichi chose not to reopen the shelf, as his DNA clearly wasn't a match with the reader. He began to rack his brain, attempting to piece together a theory for this bizarre door and its tight security. Why wasn't Shuichi allowed to open it? And why was it decorated like Monokuma? 

The secret door was in the library, a room that was accessible to the students. If Monokuma wanted to hide something, why not make use of one of the locked rooms within the school? The hand reader was on the outside of the door, meaning any of the students could use it. Could the door be for the Exisals? No, they didn't have proper hands and would draw too much attention. As for Monokuma and his Kubs, they were too small to reach the scanner, as well as the concealed button. Only a human being would be able to access the secret door and use the hand reader, which led Shuichi to a very scary thought...

What if there was a mole?

What if one of his fifteen classmates wasn’t a criminal, but instead, disguised as one in order to watch over the students. Sure, Monokuma was overseeing their life in the academy, but a mole would do a much throughout job, able to obtain information hidden from Monokuma.  It would explain how Monokuma seemed to know everything that the students were up to...perhaps the security cameras were not to blame. 

A secret door in the library meant any of the students could sneak there without it appearing strange. Shuichi already had his cover story prepared, which he had no doubts that the others would believe. Additionally, a biometric hand reader meant that the door could only be opened by one specific person. If the door was opened with a keycard, as Shuichi had originally thought, then anyone could gain entry to the room if the owner of the keycard were to drop it. Strict security measures had been set up. 

Everyone had told Shuichi that their memories were missing, but the mole would just lie. No one knew of their crimes either, so the mole wouldn’t have to invent an elaborate story that they’d have to maintain. Of course, if there really was a mole, then who could it be?

Kokichi? Because lying came so easy to him...

Maki? Because she kept herself closed off...

Kirumi? Because she was running about after the students without any complaints, creating close bonds...

Rantaro? Because he had 'forgotten' his talent...

Gonta? Because he could be playing dumb to avoid suspicion...

There were too many possibilities. Shuichi could find reasons to suspect everyone if he thought hard enough. 

If there really was a mole amongst them, then they likely knew the answers that Shuichi so desperately sought. Why were they being punished? Did their families know?  Would they really remain in the academy forever if they didn't kill? Perhaps unveiling the mole's identity could lead to some clues. More importantly, Shuichi needed to know who he could no longer trust. 

If Shuichi wanted to catch the mole, then he needed a plan. He decided that he wasn't going to tell anyone about his discovery (at least not yet), as it would cause paranoia among the group. Besides, if the mole knew that Shuichi had discovered their secret, they could do something to harm him. It crossed his mind that he could summon everyone to the library and force them, in turn, to scan their hands against the reader, but the mole would likely have a plan prepared, which could risk putting everyone's lives in danger.

As Maki had mentioned earlier, the library was the only room without a security camera. So thankfully, Monokuma wouldn't have seen Shuichi discover the secret door. Perhaps the lack of security cameras in the library was related to the mole somehow?

Shuichi was deep in his thoughts, attempting to concoct a plan, when suddenly, he heard someone call his name.

"Shuichi?" 

"Huh?" Shuichi quickly looked over his shoulder. He found himself staring at the Ultimate Maid, who had entered the library. "K-Kirumi?!" he felt exceptionally jumpy, worried that Kirumi might have noticed something, as he didn't know how long she'd been standing there. However, if she had seen something, she didn't mention it.

“Good morning, Shuichi.” Kirumi smiled pleasantly. “Have you decided what you would like for lunch? I am taking orders, so I can prepare the perfect meals for everyone.”

“Lunch...already?” Shuichi raised his eyebrows. They’d been eating breakfast in the dining hall just under an hour ago.

“Some dishes require a few hours to prepare,” Kirumi explained. “Additionally, the kitchen only has one oven, so I must allow enough time to cook for everyone.”

Surely things would easier for Kirumi if she just cooked one meal and divided it into sixteen portions. Shuichi felt bad that she was cooking them all lunch in the first place, as Kirumi wasn't their personal Maid, she was a student, just like them.

“I’ll just have what everyone else is having,” Shuichi said, not wanting to be a nuisance.

“So far, I have taken down fifteen different orders,” replied Kirumi. “Please tell me which dish you really desire.”

“Well...in that case, could I please have some soup? Vegetable is fine.” Shuichi requested, wanting to keep things simple to spare Kirumi the effort.

“Of course.” Kirumi nodded. “I am happy to fulfil any request within reason.”

“Do you want some help?” offered Shuichi. He felt guilty giving orders to Kirumi.

“No, but thank you,” Kirumi smiled. “I am the Ultimate Maid after all, so I am more than capable. However, if you wish to accompany me to the dining hall, your friends Kaede and Rantaro are finishing the milkshakes that I prepared for them.”

It felt strange that Kirumi addressed Rantaro and Kaede as Shuichi’s friends when they had been in the Ultimate Academy for Juveniles for less than twenty-four hours. However, Shuichi couldn’t think of a more appropriate word. In such a short space of time, he already felt a lot closer to those two than he did some of the others.

Shuichi walked with Kirumi to the dining hall, as his order had been her last. There was nothing more he could do in the library until he'd crafted a plan to catch the mole.

 Like Kirumi had said, Kaede and Rantaro were sat at the dining table, finishing off their milkshakes. Chocolate for Rantaro and strawberry for Kaede.

"Hi Shuichi," Kaede smiled. "How's your heading feeling?"

“A lot better, thank you,” Shuichi replied, taking a seat. He crossed his fingers, hoping that Kirumi wouldn’t reveal that she had found him in the library. Luckily, Kirumi was too busy in the kitchen to join in with their conversation.

"Do you want a milkshake?" Kaede asked. "Ours are delicious. Kirumi really is talented!"

"No thank you," declined Shuichi. Although he agreed that they did look delicious, Kirumi had more than enough on her plate and he didn't wish to add to her workload.

For the next two hours, Shuichi remained in the kitchen with Rantaro and Kaede, whilst Kirumi worked on lunch. The conversation flowed naturally between the trio, as for the first time since waking up, they spoke about somethingbesides the killing game - which made for a refreshing change. Kaede spoke passionately about her talent, sharing stories with the boys of her past.

As it grew closer to noon, the other students arrived for their lunch. Some showed up in pairs, such as Tsumugi and Angie, whilst others came alone and sat down quietly at the table. Once everyone had arrived, Kirumi presented sixteen different dishes. Some were hot, some were cold, some were vegetarian, and some contained meat. The soup Shuichi had ordered was outstanding. If he had money to give, he would have tipped Kirumi highly.

“Have you guys noticed,” Kaito said, displaying a mouthful of curry. “There’s been no sign of Monokuma’s motive yet?”

Tenko pulled a sour face. “Eat with your mouth closed, you disgusting degenerate.” 

“That is true,” Keebo agreed with Kaito. “Monokuma said he was going to make our lives hell, but so far, nothing has changed.”

“If anything, our lives have improved because Kirumi has made us this amazing food.” Angie smiled. “We must thank Atua for such a lovely meal. It’s so divine.”

“I don’t remember seeing Atua in the kitchen,” Rantaro remarked.

“Maybe Monokuma lie about motive,” Gonta suggested.

“Or, he just couldn’t be bothered to see it through,” Himiko said.

“How strange.” Korekiyo mused. “I presumed the motive would take effect immediately.”

“Whatever it is, you guys sure like to bait him,” Kokichi said. “It’s almost like you _want_ a motive. Don’t complain that it hasn’t happened yet, just keep quiet and enjoy the peace.”

Kokichi made a fair point. If Monokuma had forgotten about the motive, for whatever reason, the students weren’t doing themselves any favours by sitting in the open and talking about it.

“See, isn’t life here divine?” Angie beamed. “I told you this can be paradise.”

Shuichi would hardly describe his situation as 'paradise', but at least it wasn't hell on earth.

As the students came to the end of their meals, Monophanie and Monotaro made an appearance in the dining hall.

“Rise and Shine Ursines!” they both cheered.

“Can’t you just say hello?” Himiko sighed, already growing tired of their irritating catchphrase.

“Don’t look so disappointed!” Monophanie exclaimed. “We’re here with some exciting news.”

“We’re going to be released from the academy?” Keebo asked hopefully.

“No, not that…” Monophanie shook her head.

“The killing game is over?” Tenko put forward.

“Just listen!” Monotaro insisted. “Two of the Talent Development Labs are now open.”

“The Ultimate Inventor’s lab is outside and the Ultimate Pianist’s lab is on the second floor,” Monophanie explained.

“Fuckin’ sweet!” Miu cheered.

“Ugh, is that it?” Kokichi complained.

“Jealous?” Miu smirked.

“Not really.” Kokichi brushed her aside. “I could never be jealous of a dried up, old cum dumpster like you.”

Miu began to quiver in upset, but nobody listened.

After lunch, Kirumi was tasked with all of the washing up, which didn't seem very fair. Shuichi offered to help once again, but the Ultimate Maid didn't want it. It wasn't that Shuichi doubted her talent, he just felt bad that the others were treating Kirumi like their personal slave. 

The ultimate students cleared off to do whatever they felt like. Kaede was extremely eager to test out her lab. She promised to invite Rantaro and Shuichi for a performance soon, but wanted a bit of time to herself. Rantaro went off before Shuichi could ask him what he was doing, so Shuichi decided to use his free afternoon to draft up a plan for catching the mole.

Before returning to his dorm, Shuichi visited the warehouse to pick up a few essential supplies. He helped himself to a notebook, as well as a handful of pens. There were five notebook designs to choose from, each one with a Monokubs’ face on the cover. Shuichi would rather a plain notebook, but there weren’t any in stock. He settled with the green Monodam notebook, since that was the bear who annoyed him the least, although that was probably because he barely spoke.

Back in his room, Shuichi sat at the desk, opening the notebook to its first, fresh page. He began to scribble away, jotting down ideas for a plan which would successfully identify the mole. However, creating such a plan was proving to be difficult. Every time Shuichi realised a flaw within his idea, he would tear out the sheet of paper and scrunch it into a ball. Soon enough, Shuichi had seven paper balls in front of him. Thankfully, there never came to be an eighth, as Shuichi finally developed a plan that he was proud of.

The plan required Shuichi returning to the warehouse to pick up some additional supplies. He made his way back to the main school building, eager to get his plan underway. He was pleased to see that he had the warehouse to himself, as he didn’t want anyone asking what he was up to.

What Shuichi needed was a camera, more specifically, a video camera, as he intended on catching the mole on film. He couldn’t spend twenty-four hours a day guarding the secret door, so a camera would have to do that job for him. It took some time to find, but Shuichi found a stash of video cameras on one of the higher shelves, alongside some disposable cameras. He took two for good measure. Next, he hunted around for a ruler and a cutting knife in the stationery section of the warehouse. 

His time in the warehouse was a success, so Shuichi dropped the items in his dorm room, before heading to the library to continue on with his plan. He wasn't fortunate enough this time to have it to himself, as Maki was already inside, browsing some book on the right side of the room. She looked across at Shuichi when he entered, but quickly turned away again without having anything to say. Luckily, Maki's presence didn't affect Shuichi's plan, as he didn't need to interact with the secret door. He wandered around the library, in search of a large book. He grabbed one of the bigger books at random and glanced at the cover to see what he'd chosen. 

_'18th Century British History’._

The book was ideal, as Shuichi couldn’t imagine it being high in demand. It was heavy to hold, but he needed the book to be as big as possible. With everything that he needed in his possession, he returned to his dorm room unnoticed. Maki had paid no attention to him.

Back in his room, Shuichi laid out the supplies on his desk, with his paper blueprint plan in hand. His plan: to carve a secret compartment in the book, where he could hide the video camera. He opened the book to its contents page and used the ruler to mark the perfect rectangle in the centre of the page, which he traced. He left a wide a border around the rectangle so the pages wouldn't look like they'd been tampered with. If you looked at the book from the side, you wouldn't know any paper had been cut out. He used the knife to carve out the rectangle, cutting through as many pages as he could. It was time-consuming, but he carried on until a reasonably sized compartment had been made, big enough to store the video camera. He felt a little guilty for destroying someone’s work, but it wasn’t like the book was being read anyway. 

Shuichi had carefully carved out the centre of the pages, so from the side, the book wouldn't raise suspicion. Having removed the pages, there was now room for the video camera to fit inside. He carved a small hole in the book's spine, as wide as the camera's lens. This is would hopefully allow the camera to film in secret. Before returning the book to the library, Shuichi performed a test. He turned on the video camera, placed it in the book and stood it upright on his shelf. He stood idly in front of the camera for a few seconds, before retrieving it to playback the footage. 

The footage was crystal clear. The hole was nice and discrete, so unless one of the students purposely picked up the book, they wouldn't notice the camera. Shuichi pressed record again and placed the camera back in the book. He wanted to start the recording already, just in case Maki was still around. 

Feeling rather pleased with himself, Shuichi returned to the library. Maki was still there, but she wasn't interested in the Detective.  He lodged the book into place on a bookshelf close to the secret door. It was angled perfectly to capture anyone on camera who tampered with the hidden door. Nothing looked out of place at all, so it was unlikely that someone would foil Shuichi’s plan.

According to the instructions, the camera had a twenty-four-hour battery life. That’s why Shuichi had picked up two cameras; one could always be on charge whilst the other was in action.

Hopeful that his plan would succeed, Shuichi returned to his dormitory to properly clean up the mess he’d made. Soon enough, it was time for dinner. To no surprise, Kirumi had prepared dinner, although this time she had made one meal for everyone, instead of sixteen individual dishes. If she cooked personal meals for everyone, she would never have time to even use the toilet.

Kirumi served up a soba noodle salad for everyone to enjoy, with warm crepes for dessert. Shuichi certainly didn’t have room for any more food and went to bed on a full stomach. He changed into his comfy, satin pyjamas and tucked himself into bed, ready for a good night's sleep. As he lay there, attempting to drift off, Shuichi couldn't help but wonder why nothing around the academy seemed to have changed. When Monokuma announced his motive, Shuichi presumed that it would take place with immediate effect, but this wasn't the case. Not that he was complaining; the longer things remained normal, the better.

Unfortunately, Shuichi didn't know what the night had in store for him...

 

***

 

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

“Huh?” Shuichi woke with a start, bolting up in bed, his heart racing from being woken so suddenly.

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

An alarm rang in Shuichi’s ears, but it wasn’t the morning alarm that the Monokubs delivered. He had no idea what was going on, but he didn’t feel well rested.

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

As the alarm continued, a voice came over the speakers. Shuichi recognised it straight away as Monokuma’s.

_'There’s a fire, everyone must evacuate the building immediately.’_

A fire?! In a panic, Shuichi jumped out of bed. He quickly slipped on his shoes, since it was easy enough to do so. On his way out, he reached for his hat, which looked a little strange with his pyjamas, but he didn’t care. Unlocking the door, the Detective hurried out of his room, not bothering to lock up.

Shuichi looked across the landing, wanting to make sure everyone else was okay and not caught up in the commotion. Maki was by her door, fiddling with the lock. She was in satin pyjamas also, although hers were red.

“Maki, are you okay?” Shuichi called over.

“I’m fine,” Maki shouted back, raising her voice over the alarm.

Strangely, Shuichi couldn’t see anything that resembled fire, nor could he smell smoke. Still, he and Maki headed for the exit together. He noticed straight away that it was dark outside, meaning it was likely the middle of the night. Due to his efficiency, Shuichi was the first person outside, followed by Maki. However, there was no cause for concern, as the other students came pouring out of the building. Everyone was dressed in their different coloured pyjamas, yawning their heads off. Kaede and Rantaro emerged at roughly the same time.

“There’s a fire?” Kaede appeared, looking half asleep, struggling to keep her eyes open.

“Apparently,” Shuichi replied. “I can’t see any flames though...”

“You think there would at least be some smoke.” Rantaro frowned. “What time is it anyway?”

“It's just gone midnight,” Keebo revealed, joining in with their conversation. "I have a clock function, you see." 

The students had only been asleep for two hours, no wonder they all felt so sleepy.

Monokuma and his Kubs made their way into the crowd. It was probably part of a skit, but they were all dressed in satin pyjamas too, even Monokuma. 

“Everyone stay back!” Monotaro instructed.

“This is a fire drill, everyone must remain outside of the building until the all-clear has been given,” Monophanie explained.

“A drill?!” Kaito narrowed his eyebrows. “The alarm said there was a fire.”

“Well obviously,” Monokuma retorted. “It’s called a fire alarm for good reason. It’s hardly going to scream ‘I’m a drill’, cuz then no one would get out of bed.”

“So, there’s no fire?” Ryoma sought clarification.

“Nope,” Monosuke answered. “But we’ve still gotta give youse the all-clear before you can get back inside."

“Monodam can do it.” Monokid dictated, pushing his brother towards the dormitories.

“...” Monodam said nothing, doing as he was told.

“What’s the point of a fire drill if we’re in a killing game?” Miu asked. “Don’t ya want us all dead anyway?”

“If you all burnt alive, that would be pretty boring,” Monokuma replied. “No class trials and no executions.”

“How dull.” Kokichi agreed.

“Kokichi! Don’t agree with him.” Keebo protested.

“Whilst I’m here, I should probably explain the rules of the fire drill,” Monokuma said.

“Ugh, not more!” Himiko complained.

“When the fire alarm sounds, you _have_ to go outside. It doesn’t matter whether there’s a real fire or not.” Monokuma told them. “Anyone who doesn’t oblige will be dragged outside by the Exisals.”

“And they’re known to give electric shocks!” Monotaro piped up.

“The Exisals wouldn’t fit in the dormitory building.” Tenko pointed out. “They’re too tall.”

“Hmph…” Monokuma didn’t like that Tenko had pointed out such a flaw. “Fine, anyone who doesn’t obey the fire alarm will be punished by the Exisals. I’ll have them break through the wall just to punish you.”

“Punishment seems a little extreme, does it not?” Korekiyo remarked.

“If you’re a liability to the health and safety conditions of the school, then I just can’t have you around.” Monokuma justified. “Consider it a new school rule! Time to update the handbooks.”

“So if you think we don’t care about safety, you’re just going to kill us?!” Shuichi couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“That’s right!” Monokuma laughed.

At that moment, Monodam returned from the dormitories. “ALL-CLEAR,” he reported back.

“Okay everyone, you’re free to go back inside.” Monokuma dismissed the students. 

Cold and tired, the students returned to their rooms. Making sure he locked his door behind him, Shuichi climbed into his warm bed, thankful the drill was over. But little did he know...

 

***

 

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

Shuichi felt like he’d been asleep for five minutes, when he was woken again by the awful alarm.

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

_‘There is a fire, everyone must evacuate the building immediately.’_

“Really?” Shuichi complained.

He wanted to stay in bed, as he was certain there wasn’t a fire. However, Monokuma had made it pretty clear that the fire drills were mandatory. Begrudgingly, Shuichi reached for his hat and left his room. There were more students on the landing this time.

“He’s takin’ the fuckin’ piss!” Miu ranted, slamming her door shut with a thud.

“What...what time is it?” Tsumugi yawned, covering her mouth as she did so.

“Just gone two,” Keebo informed her. 

“The last drill was only two hours ago.” Shuichi said.

It was noticeably colder outside than last time; Shuichi had to wrap his arms around himself to stay warm. It quickly came to his attention that he'd forgotten to put on his shoes, leaving his bare feet to freeze against the damp grass. 

“Another drill?” Ryoma said, emerging from the dormitory building.

“Tch, this is stupid,” Kaito complained, following behind him.

“It’s s-so cold.” Kaede’s teeth were chattering.

“I wish there was a fire right now," Rantaro muttered. "At least we’d be warm."

With everyone huddled outside, Monokuma and his Kubs turned up. 

“Monophanie, go and check inside.” Monokid sent his sister to give the all clear this time.

“Two drills in the space of two hours. Really, Monokuma?” Tenko challenged the bear.

“Gonta tired.” Gonta yawned.

Monokuma shrugged. “One of you guys must have set off the fire alarm as a prank.”

“No one would do this as a prank; we’re all exhausted,” Shuichi argued.

“Just be grateful that the sprinklers haven’t gone off,” Monokuma said. “They usually do when the fire alarm is triggered.”

“Why haven’t they?” Kaede asked.  

“Beats me.” Monokuma shrugged. He played dumb, even though it was painfully obvious that he was the one behind everything. 

Within thirty seconds, Monophanie reappeared, announcing that it was all clear. With more hostility this time, the students went back to bed. Shuichi jumped straight back under the covers. However…

 

***

 

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

For the third time that night, Shuichi was woken by the fire alarm. He wanted to bury his head under his pillow and ignore it, but that wasn't an option. Remembering shoes and socks this time, he left his room.

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

_‘There is a fire, everyone must evacuate the building immediately.’_

Shuichi bumped into Korekiyo outside of his room. They didn’t say anything to each other, but exchanged glances, sharing in the pain.

Outside, no one was speaking, beside from Keebo's one-off comment that it was now four in the morning. The sky had gotten progressively darker, and the cold was even worse. It didn’t make a huge difference, but Shuichi was grateful for the socks. 

The six bears showed up and it was Monosuke who was sent on inspection duty this time. With the obvious all-clear given once again, the students hurried back to bed. Considering the current pattern, Shuichi had an awful feeling that he was going to be woken up again in two hours time, so he decided to keep the socks on.

 

***

 

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

At six am, the alarm sounded again, just as Shuichi had predicted. He was really suffering at this point; his eyes were stinging and he could feel a headache developing. He wanted nothing more than to crawl underneath the covers. 

Everyone made it outside, except for Himiko, who had to be forced out of bed by the Monokubs, as she was refusing to move. It seemed that they were giving her one last chance before punishment. Monophanie and Monotaro had Himiko's right arm, whilst Monosuke and Monodam had her left. Monokid gave her an occasional push from behind. They dragged the Mage outside, her feet trailing along the floor.  

Tenko was horrified as soon as she saw what was happening. “Get off Himiko! Leave her alone!" 

Himiko didn’t resist the Kubs since they would likely keep pulling and dislocate her arms.

"She should be grateful that Father isn't having her punished," Monotaro remarked haughtily.

Shuichi suspected that Monokuma had spared Himiko just to show off the power he possessed. 

"He did say this is a final warning though," Monosuke said. "Youse lot better be careful." 

It quickly came to Shuichi's attention that Monokuma hadn't made an appearance this time. "Where is Monokuma?" 

"None of your fuckin' business!" Monokid retorted rudely. 

"Daddy is catching up on his beauty sleep," Monophanie said. "He's really tired after tonight." 

"Shouldn't he have to evacuate the building like the rest of us?" Kaito objected. 

"And why's he sleeping?" Tenko joined in. "He's a robot." 

"Be careful, you might trigger Keeboy," Kokichi smirked. 

"We don't have to answer to you." Monokid snapped. 

The Kubs spoke among themselves, deciding who would check the dormitories. Meanwhile, the students had a conversation of their own.

“This is the fourth drill we've experienced tonight,” Kirumi pointed out. “Unfortunately, I don’t think this is by chance.”

“This must be linked to Monokuma’s motive,” Rantaro concluded.

“It has to be.” Ryoma agreed.

“I’d call this hell on earth alright.” Kaito sighed.

"I just want to sleep." Himiko yawned. 

"Monokuma knows exactly what he's doing," Kaede vented. "This many fire drills just isn't necessary."

Monotaro interrupted their conversation, having performed the safety check. "It's all-clear. You can go back to bed." 

"We can have a proper conversation in the morning," Rantaro said. "Well, I guess it's the morning already, but you know what I mean."

"Yes, let's discuss this over breakfast." Kirumi agreed. "We should make the most of the remaining two hours before the morning alarm." 

"Can't we sleep in?" Himiko protested. 

"We don't know whether the fire drills stop during the day," Rantaro said. "Having a lie in might be pointless." 

"We could meet for breakfast at eight, and go back to bed afterwards if the fire drills stop," Shuichi suggested. 

"That's a good idea, Shuichi." Kaede smiled. 

The students returned to their beds, desperate to make the most of their remaining two hours sleep. Shuichi fell asleep within seconds, still wearing his hat. 

 

 

***

 

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_

As expected, the morning alarm sounded at 8 am. The Monokubs appeared on the monitor, cheering for everyone to 'rise and shine'. 

Shuichi let out a deep groan. The overly exaggerated, irritating personalities of the Monokubs contributed towards his burning headache. He made a mental note to search the warehouse for some earplugs. Although, he had to be careful, as sleeping through the mandatory fire alarms would result in his death. 

“It’s 8 a.m, so it's time to get up,” Monophanie said.

“Oh, and we’ve got an announcement from Pops,” Monosuke said. “He’s added some new school rules, so make sure youse check your student handbooks, cuz you wouldn't wanna break 'em.”

Monokuma had mentioned one new rule during the night, but Shuichi couldn't recall a second. Perhaps his exhausted brain had blocked it from his memory. With the morning announcement over, Shuichi forced himself out of bed and reached for his Monopad. He flicked through the school rules, in search of the latest additions.  

**#15 When the fire alarm sounds, all students must evacuate the building. Anyone who does not obey is breaking health and safety conduct and will be punished.**

**#16 Sleeping during the day is forbidden. Anyone caught sleeping outside of nighttime hours will be punished. This includes napping or closing your eyes for too long.**

Shuichi couldn’t quite believe what he was reading; the sixteenth rule addition was ridiculous. It had to be a part of the motive: banning the students from sleeping during the day, but keeping them awake all night. It scared him that he would be punished for falling asleep by accident. 

In an attempt to wake himself up, Shuichi grabbed some clean clothes from his wardrobe and headed for the shower. He took a quick glance in the mirror, uncomfortable at the sight of his under eye bags. It was disturbing what one bad night's sleep could do. The Detective stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower. He reached for the nozzle and turned on the water. However, within seconds of the water touching his skin, Shuichi shrieked and leapt out of the shower.

“Ahhh!”

The water was boiling - scolding even. It had barely touched him but his skin was stinging as if he'd been on fire. Shuichi was genuinely fearful that he would have obtained third-degree burns if he had stayed under the water for more than twenty seconds. Since he had jumped out of the shower in such a panic, the shower was still running. Without stepping back inside, Shuichi reached into the shower, avoiding the water, and fiddled with the nozzles. He attempted to turn down the temperature, but no matter what he did, nothing changed; the water would not cool down. Giving a defeated sigh, Shuichi turned off the water for good, accepting that he couldn't wash. 

In the dormitory hallway, Shuichi bumped into his neighbour Rantaro, who happened to be leaving his room at the exact same time. He looked just as tired as Shuichi but still managed a smile. “Morning. Sleep well?” it was clearly a joke.

“Today just gets worse,” Shuichi sighed. “I tried to have a shower, but the water is boiling hot. I can't turn down the temperature." 

“Your shower too?!” Rantaro exclaimed. “I thought it was just mine.”

"This must be part of Monokuma's motive too," Shuichi said, sharing his suspicions. 

"He's really trying to mess with us," Rantaro remarked. "I wonder if the same has happened to everyone else." 

"I don't suppose your talent is actually the Ultimate Plumber?" Shuichi said, wishfully thinking. 

The boys made their way to the main school building, reflecting on their terrible night's sleep. They travelled to the dining hall, where several sleepy faces greeted them. Kirumi was busy serving cups of coffee, in an attempt to keep everyone awake. Sixteen plates of scrambled eggs and toast were set out on the table. There were plenty of empty seats, so the boys sat together next to Kaede.

She greeted them with a smile, sipping her coffee. "Good morning." 

"Morning, Kaede," Rantaro replied. 

Shuichi looked at the Pianist. To his surprise, her hair was damp. He could also smell the strong scent of apple shampoo. "Kaede, did...did you have a shower this morning?" 

"H-huh?" caught off guard by the question, Kaede was startled. "Y-yes, I shower every morning..."

Shuichi quickly realised how inappropriate his question sounded. Thankfully Miu was yet to arrive, as she would have called him a perv. "S-sorry, that came out wrong. I was only asking because my shower seems to be broken, Rantaro's too. The water is scalding hot so they're unusable. We thought it might be part of Monokuma's motive."

“Oh, mine was the opposite,” Kaede said. “My shower was freezing cold, so I couldn't stay in there for long. It was really uncomfortable."

“It’s a mix and match situation then,” Rantaro said. "The showers are either really really hot, or really really cold."

"I think I'd rather a cold shower," Shuichi said, reflecting on the pain he'd endured that morning.

“You’re both welcome to use my shower.” Kaede offered. “It’s ice cold, but I suppose that's better than not being able to wash at all.”

Shuichi was grateful for the offer, but he felt embarrassed at the idea of showering in Kaede’s room.

The other students arrived at the dining hall and everyone took their places at the table. Kaito was the last to arrive.

“You guys seen the new rules yet?” Kaito didn’t bother greeting them good morning. “What a load of bullshit!”

“New rules?” Himiko looked at him blankly.

“Didn’t you see?” Kaito said. “The Monokubs announced it this morning.”

“Nyeh, I didn’t look,” Himiko said.

“Monokuma has banned sleeping during the day,” Kaito explained. “As well as adding his rule about the mandatory fire drills.”

“If we sleep outside of nighttime hours, then we get punished,” shared Korekiyo. "Napping is prohibited."

“H-huh?!” Himiko's face dropped. 

“It's plain unfair.” Tsumugi sighed. “Monokuma keeps us up all night but won’t let us sleep during the day.”

“I have a feeling that the fire alarms are going to become a pretty regular thing, too,” Ryoma remarked.

Everyone was practically falling asleep in their eggs. Even Kirumi seemed tired, although she was trying her best not to show it.

“At times like this, we must pray to Atua.” Angie insisted. “With Atua watching over us, everything will be okay.”

“Does Atua know how to disable fire alarms?” Tsumugi asked desperately.

“Or disable robots?” Kokichi added.

"Great thinking, Kokichi! It would be very useful if we could disable robots," Keebo agreed. "Then we could put a stop to Monokuma."

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about Monokuma,” Kokichi said, acting innocently. “I was talking about you.” he began to snicker.

“Hey!” Keebo protested. "That's robophobic behaviour! I will not-"

“Stop shouting.” Maki glared, cutting Keebo short. “I’ve got a headache.”

"I know how to cure your headache, Maki," Angie said kindly. "Think positive thoughts and pray to Atua. In fact, let us all pray to Atua. A prayer circle is just what we need. Everybody hold hands!" 

Angie forcefully grabbed the hands of those sitting beside her: Himiko and Gonta. No one else followed, refusing to touch each other. Shuichi moved his own hands onto his lap, not wanting to be a part of whatever Angie was up to.

“Atua, my gentle God, it is now that we seek you,” Angie said, lowering her head in respect. “Please shed hope and luck to those of us living inside the academy. Please guide us through these challenging times and transform life in here into a paradise.”

“Is Atua listening?” Tsumugi whispered.

“Atua is always listening.” Angie nodded.

“Atua…” Tsumugi began. “Please, can you help us. We need you.”

“Atua, you’re our only hope,” Himiko said, her head lowered too.

“Atua thanks you both for praying to him.” Angie smiled. “He feels your love and is going to work even harder to help us. Does anyone else have any prayers?”

“Atua sounds kind,” Gonta said. “Angie is kind, just like Atua.”

“That was beautiful, Gonta.” Angie beamed. “Anyone else?”

“I must decline,” Kirumi shook her head. “I need to clear up breakfast.”

“Pft, how disgusting is it that the degenerate males are leaving all the cleaning up to poor Kirumi.” Tenko scowled.

“It’s not like you’re helping her wash up either.” Kokichi pointed out.

“I'm busy because I need to help Himiko stay awake!” Tenko insisted.

“Excuses, excuses…” Kokichi remarked.

“Remember, the more of us who pray to Atua, the stronger our connection will be,” Angie said, focusing on her God again. “For our best chances of survival, we should all speak to him.”

“I’m not joining in with your hippy bullshit.” Miu scorned. “We’d have more chance praying to a headless chicken than your stupid, made up God.” 

“Even though you do not believe in him, Atua loves you, Miu,” Angie said. “He will welcome you with open arms whenever you decide to invite him into your life.”

“Never.” Miu spat. “I can’t take this bullshit. I’m going to my lab.”

Miu's abrupt exit put an end to the prayer circle, much to Shuichi's relief. The students disbanded, so Shuichi saw it as his opportunity to visit the library. He desperately wanted to check the video camera; dying to know whether he'd caught the mole. He did feel guilty leaving all the washing up to Kirumi, but she always rejected his help anyway.

“Are you off, Shuichi?” Rantaro asked, looking up at the Detective as he rose from his seat.

“Yes,” Shuichi replied, keeping his answer brief.

“Where are you going?” Kaede joined in. “Can I tag along? I need to distract myself from how tired I feel…”

“Oh, sorry, I was just going to relax in my room,” Shuichi said, lying through his teeth. If he mentioned that he was going to the library, Kaede was bound to follow him.

“Is that a good idea?” Rantaro said. “You might fall asleep if you're on your own."

“I won’t; I’m careful.” Shuichi insisted.

“See you later then.” Kaede smiled.

Shuichi didn't enjoy lying to Kaede and Rantaro, as they were nice people and he was beginning to trust them. He found himself tempted to share his findings with them, as it would be nice to have some additional opinions on the possibility of a mole. That being said, he needed to remain cautious. In a killing game, the only one he could truly trust was himself. It seemed unlikely that either of his new friends was the mole, but he didn't want to expose his plan too soon, just in case. Besides, he couldn't have a private conversation in the packed dining hall; everyone would overhear.

To save himself the effort later, Shuichi decided to go to his dorm room first to retrieve the spare video camera. Due to their battery life, the cameras had to be charged every day. He might as well switch the cameras whilst already in the library. The readily charged video camera was too big to fit in Shuichi's pockets or underneath his hat. This left him with no choice but to smuggle it underneath his blazer. It looked a little obvious and awkward, so Shuichi hoped that he could make it to the library undetected. It was still a better option than walking around with the camera in the open, as that would do nothing but contribute to his 'perv' reputation. 

Luck was on his side; Shuichi made it to the basement without encountering anyone. He stealthily slid open the library door, hoping to sneak in through the side exit, closest to the mysterious bookcase. However, he walked into the room to a sight that he wasn't expecting. Rantaro was on his knees in front of the special bookshelf, tracing the marks on the carpet with his finger. Kaede stood beside him, observing what he was up to. 

“What do you think this means?” Kaede asked Rantaro. "Maybe, oh-" having heard the door open, she cut herself short. She looked at the Detective with a puzzled expression. "Shuichi?" 

"I..." caught off guard, Shuichi wasn't sure what to say. 

Rantaro looked up from the floor. "Oh, hey! Didn't feel like having a lie down anymore?"

“I, uh…” Shuichi attempted to think up a lie, but Kaede interrupted him.

“What are you holding?” she narrowed her eyebrows.

“Hm?” Shuichi didn’t follow.

“Under your jacket.” Kaede clarified, pointing a finger.

Shuichi knew that it was pointless to lie any further. The badly hidden video camera looked very suspicious on his part. Rantaro and Kaede were his closest friends in the academy, so if he was going to share his secret with anybody, it would be them.

“It’s a video camera,” Shuichi admitted, removing it from underneath his jacket for them to see. "I...I think we're in here for the same reasons." he saw the way Rantaro had been studying the carpet marks; this couldn't be a coincidence. 

“The secret room?” Kaede gasped.

"Y-yes," Shuichi admitted honestly. "How do you know?"

“Monokid let something slip,” Rantaro explained. “After breakfast, he came to the dining hall and started bothering us. He thought Kaede and I were alone, because Kirumi was in the kitchen, so he started saying all this...vulgar stuff." 

“It was like being with Miu.” Kaede shuddered.

“He told us how Monokuma hates…’funny business’ between students,” Rantaro explained, using air quotations. “But if we wanted some time alone, to get 'hot and steamy' we could use the secret room in the library so Monokuma wouldn't see.”

“Trust Monokid to make the slip-up,” Shuichi said. Out of all the Kubs, Monokid was definitely his least favourite.

“You could tell he regretted it as soon as he said it,” Kaede revealed. “He begged us not to tell Monokuma, so we said we wouldn’t. But he didn’t say anything about looking for it ourselves.”

“I’m not sure what good a secret room is,” Rantaro admitted. “But there could be some kind of clue." 

"Have you found the secret room yet?" Shuichi pried.

"Not yet," Rantaro replied. “At first we thought it might be in the ceiling, like if one of the titles comes loose."

“Don’t laugh, we quickly realised how ridiculous that sounds.” Kaede laughed.

“But we just noticed these markings on the carpet.” Rantaro pointed. “They have to mean something.”

Shuichi decided to give them some guidance. "Look at the bookshelves, this one in particular." he pointed. "Notice how it's the only bookshelf without any books on top of it. It's strange because there are books scattered all over the floor that need somewhere to go."

“Oh!” Kaede exclaimed. "I hadn't noticed that." 

“You really have got a detective’s eye,” Rantaro said.

“You were right to suspect the carpet markings.” Shuichi shared. He bent down on the floor next to Rantaro. “It shows where something has moved over the carpet, enough friction to erase the fabric.”

"So I thought," Rantaro muttered.

Shuichi stood up and approached the bookshelf, reaching for the secret button. "There's button tucked away in the shelf. If you press it, you'll find the secret door." he pressed the button and took a step back, watching as the bookshelf swung open, revealing the mysterious Monokuma door. 

“Woah!” Kaede gasped.

“Who woulda thought…” Rantaro whispered.

“What’s behind the door?” Kaede turned to Shuichi for answers.

“I’m not sure, I can't open it,” Shuichi admitted with a sigh. “There’s no handle, just a biometric hand reader, so I can't get in. I don't know who the lock is designed for, but it's clearly not me." to demonstrate, Shuichi scanned his hand against the reader. Just like before, he was denied entry. 

Kaede took a turn too, pressing her hand against the reader. As expected, it flashed red and nothing changed. “I mean, it was worth a shot…” as she stepped away, the bookshelf began to rumble and closed itself shut, concealing the hidden door. "Oh! Did I do something wrong?"

“No, it’s not you.” Shuichi shook his head. “I think the door is on a timer. It closes after fifteen seconds or so of being opened. It seems to be a safety precaution." 

“I can’t believe you had all of this figured out,” Rantaro admired. “I think I’d have been in here for hours without your help.” 

“Rantaro and I were going to come and find you, Shuichi,” Kaede said. “We wanted to tell you about the secret room, but we were quickly checking things out in case Monokid interfered.”

"It's okay," Shuichi replied. “I didn’t tell you either and I discovered this yesterday. It's not that I don't trust you, I just wanted to be certain of my findings."

“No offence taken,” Rantaro reassured him. 

"I wonder what's behind the door," Kaede pondered. "The black and white paint reminds me of Monokuma." 

"Maybe it's his office or something," Rantaro thought aloud. "It would explain where he always disappears to."

"I don't know about that," Shuichi disagreed. "Monokuma would have no reason to hide it. There are plenty of locked doors within the academy, which we can't gain entry to. And if he wanted extra security, he could use the Exisals as guard dogs."

"Ah, that's true," Rantaro said. "So, do you have any ideas?"

"I do." Shuichi nodded. "In my opinion, this door is for a mole. A traitor amongst us..." 

"A mole?" Rantaro repeated.

"I believe that someone in this school isn't really a criminal," Shuichi explained. "Instead, they've been placed here to watch over everyone. They're like Monokuma's personal little spy."

"R-really?!" Kaede exclaimed. "I...I don't know. I mean, why would someone want to work with Monokuma? Besides, he can watch everything through the security cameras, so he doesn't need a spy." 

"That is true," Shuichi said. "But a mole would be able to gain intel that even the cameras can't. A mole can build a bond within the group, and perhaps even influence the killing game."

"So, what lead you to this conclusion?" Rantaro asked. 

"I came to that conclusion because the hidden door is in the library, a room that any of us can access." Shuichi shared his thoughts.

"I suppose because it's hidden in the library, it wouldn't seem suspicious if one of us was down here using the door," Rantaro said. 

"Exactly." Shuichi agreed. "Additionally, the idea of a mole isn't that ridiculous. With everyone's memories missing, they don't have to fabricate a criminal past." 

"If this room really is for a mole, then I wonder what's inside," Kaede said, looking deep in thought. 

"Maybe it's a secret meeting room they use with Monokuma," Rantaro theorised. "Or, it could even be a door to the outside world." 

"Discovering the mole's identity is important," Shuichi stated. "So that's why I set a trap last night in an attempt to catch them."

"Really?" Kaede said. "What did you do?" 

"I planted a video camera," Shuichi revealed. 

With the bookshelf and its secret explained, it was time for Shuichi to share his plan with the others. He had been dying to look at the video camera footage but wanted Rantaro and Kaede to have a true understanding of the situation first. With nervous hands, he approached the book ' _18th Century British History'_ and pulled it from the shelf. In great detail, he explained to Rantaro and Kaede what he had done to set up his trap. They both admired his handy work. The camera was still recording, so Shuichi turned it off. He selected 'media' under the camera's settings, allowing him to watch back what had been filmed. The video was eleven hours long in total.

Thankfully, there was a fast-forward button, as watching eleven hours of footage in real time would be a painful experience. Shuichi sped up the footage as fast as it would go and watched the small screen, waiting for something to happen. The majority of the footage was dull to watch, as nothing happened. At one point, Korekiyo appeared on camera, but he was simply browsing the shelves for something to read. He left without touching the secret bookcase, freeing him from any suspicion. No else was caught on camera after Korekiyo. The next few hours captured nothing at all, not until Rantaro and Kaede walked into the library - which had happened just ten minutes ago.

“Nothing…” Shuichi sighed in frustration, disappointed that he hadn't caught the mole in action. 

“We saw Korekiyo, but he wasn’t acting suspiciously,” Kaede remarked.

“He was probably just using the library like any normal person,” Rantaro said.

“The mole wouldn’t have seen you set up this trap, would they?” Kaede asked Shuichi.

“They can’t have.” Shuichi shook his head. “There aren’t any cameras around here. Maki was in the library, but she only saw me put the book on the shelf. There's no way she would've seen the video camera."

“What if there are hidden security cameras somewhere?” Kaede posed. “I mean, it’s kinda odd that there’s CCTV in all of the rooms besides this one.”

That was a mystery that was bugging Shuichi also. 

“Maybe the mole didn’t feel like visiting their hideout last night, simple as that,” Rantaro suggested. “I mean, if they’re having to sneak around, I can’t see them wanting to make unnecessary visits.”

“That’s true.” Kaede agreed. “Just because you didn’t catch them last night, it doesn’t mean you're never going to catch them at all! If you keep recording, I’m sure something will show up sooner or later!" she smiled positively. 

The video camera was only halfway through its battery life, but Shuichi chose to swap it over anyway, to save him a trip to the library later. He placed the fully charged video camera in the special book and kept ahold of the one that had been replaced so that he could charge it in his dormitory. 

“That’s all done,” Shuichi said. “We can come by again tomorrow, change the cameras and see if anything else has been recorded.” 

 

***

 

The sixteen ultimate students reunited in the dining hall at lunchtime, to enjoy another of Kirumi's freshly prepared feasts. Shuichi watched the Ultimate Maid from across the table, noticing how exhausted she looked. She seemed so overworked, but she didn't once complain.

“Monokuma’s latest rule really is a bitch,” Miu ranted, pulling apart a roasted chicken leg. "I just wanna shut my eyes for two minutes..."

"It's not worth the risk," Rantaro said. "Even for two minutes..." 

“It is worrying to think about what the consequences are for accidentally falling asleep,” Korekiyo said. 

“You think we’d be punished even if we fell asleep by accident?” Tenko asked.

“Probably,” Ryoma replied. “Rules are rules.”

“It's Monokuma,” Rantaro said. “He’d have a field day punishing someone over an accident.”

"Will this happen again tonight?" Gonta asked. "Fire alarms?" 

"Unfortunately, I think so," Kirumi replied. "Monokuma said the motive won't stop unless a killing occurs."

"We're going to be tired forever." Tsumugi cried. "This is plain awful. I've had a headache all day." 

"Me too," Kaede sighed. "Tiredness headaches are the worst. I used to get them if I stayed up too late on the piano." 

"I feel as if I could fall asleep any second," Tsumugi went on. "My eyes are so heavy. I'm almost drifting..."

“Want me to punch you?” Kokichi offered. "That should wake you up." 

"Stop bein' so fuckin' annoying." Miu glared at Kokichi. 

"You're just jealous because I would never punch you, even if you paid me." Kokichi retorted. "Who knows what disease I'd catch just from touching you?" 

"H-hey!" Miu objected, her voice wobbling. "Y-you don't mean that!"

Shuichi wished they would stop bickering. 

"Y'know, I have an idea," Kaito said, interrupting them both. "Instead of just sitting here thinking about how tired we are, why don't we get up and do something? We need to try and keep our minds awake."

“What did you have in mind?” Keebo asked.

"Well, during my space training, I had to get up pretty damn early. Before sunrise, most days." Kaito said, sharing his story. "I always went for a jog in the morning, cuz it woke me up. So, I think we should all do some laps around the school. Exercise is exactly what we need."

“That’s pretty good advice...for a degenerate,” said Tenko, reluctant to praise him.

“We can’t run inside.” Keebo objected. "There should be no running in the hallways; it's too dangerous."

“Why are you even here?” Kokichi asked scornfully. “You're a robot, you can't experience tiredness! I'm sure you can just stick yourself on charge or plug into the microwave or something." 

“Yeah Keebo, accept your privilege.” Tenko scowled.

Kaito brought the conversation back on track. "There's plenty of room outside, so maybe we could run laps to the Shrine of Judgement."

Himiko wasn't keen. “Nyeh, that’s too far.”

“It doesn’t matter how fast you go, just so long as you get there." Kaito smiled encouragingly. 

“Don’t give Himiko advice.” Tenko glared. "You don't have the right!"

"Look, I know this isn't everyone idea's of fun," Kaito admitted. "But we need to show Monokuma that he can't defeat us with his motive. If we sit around moaning about how tired we are, he's winning."

Exercise wasn’t something that Shuichi enjoyed, especially in a group situation, where others were going to watch him, but he wanted to show Monokuma that he couldn't be defeated. If exercise was going to help keep him awake, then so be it. Besides, it didn't seem like Kaito would take no for an answer. 

The students gathered outside in front of the school's double doors. Somehow, the Astronaut had convinced everyone to take part, even those who didn't want to. Tenko led a warm-up, but hardly anyone joined in. On the count of three, Kaito whistled, using his fingers, and the jog began. It occurred to Shuichi rather early on that he wasn't dressed for the occasion. His clothes limited his movements, so he threw off his jacket during the first lap. His trousers didn’t have much give in them, making it difficult to bend his knees. He wished he had some shorts to change into.

The more athletically inclined students lead upfront, completing three laps, whilst some students were still on their first. However, even they began to tire. Little energy lead to little motivation, with nearly everyone walking after ten minutes. 

“I have a stitch,” Korekiyo complained, clutching at his side. “I think I need to sit down.”

The exercise didn't pay off. Most of the students complained that they felt worse. Not only were they still tired, but sweaty too. They all returned to the dining hall for a well-needed glass of water. As they quenched their thirst, Keebo came up with another suggestion.

“To stay awake, you shouldn’t just exercise your bodies, you should exercise your minds too.” Keebo declared. “How about a general knowledge quiz? That should be mentally stimulating.”

“S-stimulating?!” Miu began to whimper.

“I hate this already.” Himiko scrunched her face.

Keebo was appointed as the quizmaster and the rest of the students split into three teams of five. To save arguments, Keebo sorted out the teams. He went around the table, numbering the students as a one, two, or three. Shuichi was a one, so he found himself in a team with Kaito, Miu, Korekiyo, and Gonta. Team two consisted of Rantaro, Ryoma, Kirumi, Himiko, and Tsumugi. The third and final team were Kaede, Angie, Kokichi, Tenko, and Maki. Keebo passed around some pen and paper and told everyone to write down their answers down one by one.

Keebo presented the first question. “What is the capital city of Japan?” he asked.

There was a series of groans throughout the room.

“How stupid do you think we are?!” Miu rolled her eyes.

Gonta leaned into Shuichi, who was holding the pen. “It’s Kyoto.”

“Dear God…” Korekiyo whispered, shocked at Gonta’s answer.

“It’s Toyko, obviously,” Kokichi called out.

“Kokichi!” Keebo scorned. “You’re supposed to write down your answers and we'll discuss them at the end.”

“But it was obvious.” Kokichi shrugged.

“Right, onto the second question,” Keebo announced. “Remember, write your answers down first.” he looked at Kokichi.

“Just get on with it, dumbass!” Miu heckled.

“At the beginning of the 1990s, which country had most camels?” Keebo asked, revealing the question.

“Are you joking?!” Miu exclaimed.

“Who’s the dumbass now, Miu?” Kokichi grinned.

Shuichi looked to his teammates, exchanging helpless glances. “Any guesses?”

“It is beyond me.” Korekiyo shook his head. “Camel culture is not a speciality of mine.”

“This is pointless.” Miu scowled. “I’m not taking part in this shitty quiz, it’s boring.”

“Let’s just take a guess,” Kaito said, stealing the pen.

Shuichi watched as Kaito wrote Greenland. “Uh, are you sure about that one?”

“What?” Kaito shrugged. “There’s prolly loads of grass there for the camels to eat.”

Shuichi decided not to break the news to Kaito that Greenland was an icy country. Instead, he waited for Keebo to reveal the answer as Somalia, which to no surprise, none of the teams guessed.

After a few more terrible questions, Miu called the whole thing off, expressing her frustrations at the ridiculous questions. Others piped up and the quiz was cancelled. It was a disaster of an afternoon.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just thought I'd mention that some of the small details are a little different from the canon. For example, there are video cameras in the warehouse and the Monokuma door opens with a hand reader, not a key card. Because this story is an AU, I added in these details, as they will play into the plot! ^_^ 
> 
> Also, the camel fact is true lol.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	4. A Body Has Been Discovered (1.3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! :)
> 
> Sorry for taking a while to update. Uni work has gotten very intense, as Christmas deadlines are looming, so I've had much less time to write. I also wanted to take my time going over the case, so it lines up perfectly with the investigation & trial. I can't wait to share those with you. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3

The afternoon of activities had been a giant fail, leaving the students tired and irritated. There were still a few hours left until nighttime, so they couldn't even go to bed. They had to keep themselves entertained, out of fear of falling asleep.

“What do we do now?” Tsumugi sighed.

“Kill as much time as we can until dinner,” Rantaro replied.

“Speaking of dinner, are there any requests?” Kirumi asked, looking around the group.

“Are you sure you want to cook for us tonight, Kirumi?” Kaede said gently. “If you’re tired, we can fend for ourselves.”

It seemed that Kaede had also picked up on Kirumi’s exhaustion. Shuichi was glad something had been said, as the guilt was starting to affect him.

“It is not a problem; I am more than happy to cook for you all,” Kirumi replied. “But thank you for your concern, Kaede.”

“I’ve got a few requests,” Kokichi piped up. “I want sushi, spaghetti bolognese, vegetable stir-fry, turkey curry, pizza, and fish lasagne.”

“Kokichi!” Tenko said sternly. “That’s not fair on Kirumi.”

“But she asked for our requests.” Kokichi pouted.

“It really is no trouble,” Kirumi smiled. “I can prepare all your requests. It should take no more than two hours, so if everyone could return to the dining hall for eight, food will be on the table.”

This was the cue for everyone to part ways. Maki left first, before anyone could plot another group activity, keeping it to herself where she was going. Angie announced that she was going to host a prayer circle in the gym. She was able to convince Gonta, Tsumugi, and Himiko to join her - much to Tenko’s disgust.

“Himiko,” Tenko protested. “Are you sure you want to join Angie? Maybe we could do something fun instead! Like you could show me some of your magic.”

“No thanks,” Himiko replied. “I want to pray to Atua.”

“But you already prayed to Atua this morning!” Tenko insisted. “We haven’t hung out together today.”

“Atua appreciates prayers throughout the entire day.” Angie interrupted. “Why don’t you join us, Tenko? You seem tense, so talking to Atua might relax you.”

“No thanks.” Tenko spat.

“Would anyone else like to come?” Angie offered. “Keebo, how about you?”

“Nope, he’s comin’ with me.” Miu jumped in.  
  
“I...I am?” a surprised Keebo replied.

“Yup, you’re comin’ to my lab with me,” Miu said. “I’ve got some stuff I wanna test out.”

Shuichi watched as Miu led Keebo out of the dining hall. He was surprised to see the two of them together, as he didn’t know they were friends. He wondered what Miu had to show Keebo. He was interested in visiting the Inventor's lab himself, but he wouldn’t dare ask for a tour. 

Meanwhile, Kaede had a proposition for her two closest friends: Shuichi and Rantaro. “Did you want to come and see my talent lab? I’d love to play you something!”

“That sounds great.” Shuichi nodded. He would much rather see Kaede’s lab than Miu’s.

“Yeah, sure.” Rantaro smiled.

Having eavesdropped their conversation, Kokichi interrupted. “Awww Kaede, why did you have to exclude me like that? I would’ve loved to come.” his bottom lip started to wobble, his eyes filling with tears.

“Oh!” Kaede gasped. Flustered, she tried to apologise. "I-I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d be interested.”

“Yeah, I’m not, that was a lie.” Kokichi grinned, his sadness nowhere to be seen. “Nehehehe. I’m going to spy on Miu and Keeboy instead.” he got up from the table and hurried after his targets.

Left baffled by Kokichi, Kaede led the two boys to her lab on the second floor. Her face was filled with excitement as she opened the door, allowing the boys to pass through. “Come in!” she welcomed them warmly.

Shuichi stepped into the lab, instantly blown away by what he saw. The lab was large and spacious, with big open windows that looked out onto the academy. A grand piano took focus in the centre of the room, with several stools and music stands dotted around. On the far left, there was an endless number of CDs, which was the most impressive collection he had ever seen.

“This is amazing.” Shuichi gasped, in awe of what he saw. “I didn’t think the talent development labs would be this detailed." he couldn’t help but wonder what his own talent development lab would look like.

“It’s pretty cool,” Rantaro agreed. “A lot of money and resources must’ve been put into this room.”

“I’m so grateful to have my lab already,” Kaede shared. “With everything that’s been going on, I’ve been feeling so down. But when I’m at the piano, I feel like I’m home again…”

It was a sweet comment, but it saddened Shuichi, as it reminded him how far away from home he was.

“I hope I get to see my lab soon,” Rantaro said. “If it’s anything like yours, it should remind me of my ultimate talent.”

“That’s true, it should hold all the answers you need.” Shuichi agreed.

Kaede approached her piano and sat down on the stool. “Would you like to hear something? Because I know the perfect song that always helps lift my spirit. I'd really like to play it for you.”

“Go for it.” Rantaro smiled. He sat down at one of the spare stools, so Shuichi copied.

"This is Le Onde by Ludovico Einaudi." Kaede introduced the song. "It's a really calming piece."

Kaede played the gentle melody, reciting the song from memory with ease. She seemed so comfortable behind the piano, her fingers effortlessly fluttering along the keys. Her face held a look of concentration. When the song came to an end, the boys gave a standing ovation.

"That was beautiful," Shuichi whispered.

"Thanks for that, Kaede," Rantaro said gratefully. "It's what I really needed to hear right now."

"I told you it's good for lifting spirits!" Kaede smiled, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm so glad that you liked it! Let me play you something else. Oooh, I know! Vladimir's Blues, by Max Richter."

After another stunning performance, Kaede took a break from playing and addressed something that had been bothering her.

"Do you really think someone here is a mole?" Kaede asked. "I was thinking back to when Monokuma announced the killing game. Everyone seemed so genuine with their reactions, I just can't imagine there being an insider." 

"Everyone might've seemed genuine, but I'm sure it was easy enough for the mole to join in," Rantaro said. "They could've just copied our reactions." 

"That's true, I suppose," Kaede sighed. "Shuichi, do you have any ideas who the mole might be?" she faced the Detective.

“I don’t like to point fingers without any evidence,” Shuichi admitted honestly. “I could create a case against anyone if I tried hard enough.”

“I understand,” Kaede replied. “It’s unfair to blame someone without any proof.”

"Exactly, it would just cause animosity," Shuichi said.

"I hope our trap works soon because I feel on edge knowing there's a mole among us." Kaede shuddered. 

It was a creepy feeling indeed. Who was trying to betray them?

Kaede returned to the piano, and Shuichi felt himself ease up at the sound of the beautiful music. Kaede really was the master of her art.

 

 

***

 

Upon Kokichi’s request, Kirumi had prepared six different meals for dinner. Each dish was big enough for the students to have two servings if they so pleased. Shuichi helped himself to a plate of vegetable stir-fry, as it looked the most appealing, unlike the fish lasagne.

To Shuichi's surprise, Kokichi, the one who had requested so much food, wasn't eating. The plate in front of him remained empty, whilst the Supreme Leader sat there twiddling his thumbs.

“Kokichi,” Kirumi said, having noticed too. “Is my food not to your liking? I prepared everything that you asked for.”

“Oh I know you did,” Kokichi responded. “But I was lying earlier. I’m not hungry and even if I was, I hate nothing more than fish lasagne.”

“Kokichi!” Tenko scorned, interrupting their conversation. “Why would you trick Kirumi like that?”

“It gets boring around here you know,” Kokichi argued. “I wanted to have some fun.”

Shuichi would have been furious, but Kirumi didn’t drop her smile. “Is there something else that I can get you?” she asked considerately.

“Hmmm, I am in the mood for chocolate cheesecake…” Kokichi said, appearing deep in thought.

“I think he’s lying again,” Rantaro remarked.

“Wow Rantaro, I’m impressed.” Kokichi grinned. “You’ve got a good eye for liars."

"It was obvious," Rantaro said.

"I think it's because you're a liar too," Kokichi smirked, spreading trouble. "You already know your ultimate talent, but you're pretending to have amnesia." 

“What makes you say that?” Kaito frowned.

“Oh...just a feeling I have.” Kokichi shrugged.

“You really love to stir things, don’t you?” Rantaro said, refusing to rise to his comments. "But I don't remember my talent. There would be no point in lying." 

“Nehehehe, whatever you say.” Kokichi snickered.

Kaede interrupted him. "Kirumi, are you not eating either?" she motioned to Kirumi's empty plate.

"I do not like to eat until I have served everyone else," Kirumi explained. "Once I know everyone is satisfied with their meal, and I will not have to return to the kitchen, then I will eat." 

"Kokichi, that makes what you did even worse!" Tenko glared. "Kirumi hasn't eaten because she was waiting for you." 

"I never asked her to do that." Kokichi objected. 

The bickering died down and the students finished their dinner. There was a lot of leftover food, thanks to Kokichi. Kirumi was able to save most of it, putting it back in the fridge, wrapped in foil. At least it wasn't a total waste. 

After dinner, Shuichi took himself off to his room to get ready for bed. He brushed his teeth and changed into his pyjamas before the nighttime alarm, so that he could go to sleep as soon as possible when it sounded. He placed his hat and key on his shelf so that they were in reaching distance.

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_

The Monokubs announced that it was now 10 pm, so the students had permission to sleep. As Shuichi pulled back the covers, he prepared himself for another night of awful sleep. Thanks to his current state of exhaustion, he fell asleep within minutes of closing his eyes.

 

***

 

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

_'There’s a fire, everyone must evacuate the building immediately.’_

Shuichi jolted awake. He knew the alarm was coming, but it frightened him all the same. It was a jarring way to be woken from such a peaceful sleep.

Shuichi sat up in bed, attempting to wake up properly, when he made a horrific discovery: his bed was wet. Had....had he, a high school student, wet the bed? Surely not. That was something he hadn’t done since he was three! But perhaps he had been so tired that he’d slept through the urge of needing a wee.

As he sat there, with cheeks flushed red, the Detective quickly came to his senses. The sleep deprivation was clouding his vision. Of course he hadn’t wet the bed. This wasn’t the result of a weak bladder, this was the result of a sprinkler. It was dripping down weakly from above his head. Shuichi looked up at the sprinkler, confused as to why it was so pathetic, when its goal was to extinguish a fire. However, no sooner had he noticed the sprinkler, it kicked in and blasted water in Shuichi's face at an alarming pace. He spluttered as the water went into his mouth. 

The sprinkler was powerful, more so than considered necessary. The water came down at such a force, it hurt. His pyjamas had become soaked in a matter of seconds. In an effort to escape the water, Shuichi snatched his key off of the side and unlocked his door in a hurry. As a result, he'd forgotten his hat and shoes. 

It was 'raining' on the landing, but once Shuichi was outside, the water could no longer reach him. He was greeted by his classmates who were just as wet as him. 

"W-why did the sprinklers come on?" Tsumugi complained. "There isn't a fire." her long hair was a wet, matted mess. 

"Monokuma's done it on purpose," Kaito ranted, trying to shake off the worst of the water. "He wants to piss us off." 

"Is...Is it midnight?" Tenko asked, her teeth chattering. 

"It is," Keebo replied. "Monokuma must be following the same pattern as yesterday." 

"Looks like water doesn't affect Keeboy then," Kokichi remarked, changing the subject. "You're still here, so you must have a different weakness. Now I can push you in all the fountains I want!" 

"D-don't do that! Water isn't good for me," Keebo insisted, wary of Kokichi. "I'm built to withstand it to a certain degree, otherwise, I could never go out in the rain. But it can still affect my system!" 

"I'll have that fixed in no time," Miu said casually. "It's a piece of piss." 

"You want Miu's help?" Kokichi raised an eyebrow sceptically. "I didn't think anyone would wanna be touched by her filthy hands..."

"Miu has been upgrading my features, as well as giving me new ones." Keebo elaborated. 

Shuichi now understood why Miu had taken Keebo to her lab.

"Really?" Kirumi joined in with their conversation, interested in what they had to say. "What other features has she added? This sounds most impressive."

Given the opportunity to boast, Miu seemed exceptionally smug. "I've just provided Keebo will a milk dispensing feature! Put a cup under his mouth and he can give you a whole glass of milk, hot or cold."

"Different flavours too," Keebo added eagerly. "So far I have chocolate and banana, but we're working on strawberry!" 

"Oh..." Kirumi forced a smile. "Well, that sounds...wonderful..." 

"I've done all the boring shit too like giving him a flashlight feature, adding a camera behind his eyes, and improving his recording function," Miu went on. "My next project is to get Keebo to dispense slushies!" 

"It sounds like you're turning him into a drinks dispenser..." Shuichi remarked, somewhat concerned for Keebo's wellbeing.

"Don't be such a party pooper, Pooichi." Miu rolled her eyes. "Have some fun for once." 

"It just seems a bit impractical, that's all..." Shuichi said.

"Oh, not erotic enough for you?" Miu challenged him. "What would you prefer? Keebo to have a vibrating function, hmm?"

"I-" Shuichi choked on his words, unsure how to respond to an allegation so vile. 

"You may have ditched that hat of yours, but I know you like things dirty," Miu smirked. "Once a perv, always a perv." 

"Shuichi!" Gonta gasped. "Your hat! Gonta not notice!"

"Huh?" confused, Shuichi blinked back at Gonta, unsure what he was talking about. "What about my hat?"

"You not wearing it," Gonta replied. "Looks nice!"

"Oh yeah, I hadn't noticed." Kaito joined in. "I like it."

"W-what?" in a panic, Shuichi reached up and touched his head. His hands brushed against his hair, instead of the brim of the hat, leaving him to feel extremely uncomfortable. "I-I must've left it in my room. Maybe I can get it before Monokuma arrives." distracted by the sprinkler, his hat had been forgotten.

"It's going to be drenched now," Rantaro pointed out. "Besides, if you're inside the dorms when Monokuma shows up, he might punish you." 

As much as Shuichi wanted to get it, he listened to Rantaro's sensible advice. Hopefully, the all-clear would take no longer than a couple of minutes, so it wouldn't take long for him to be reunited with his hat. In the meantime, he stared down at the ground, focusing on his socks, avoiding all conversations. 

The sixteen ultimate students waited for Monokuma and his Kubs to arrive. In a failed attempt to be funny, the bears turned up in miniature raincoats and wellie boots. 

"I'll perform the all-clear for you, father!" Monotaro volunteered, making his way into the dormitories.

Meanwhile, Monosuke smirked at the students. "Didn't any of youse idiots think to use an umbrella?" 

"They didn't have time, Monosuke," Monophanie replied. "Daddy turned on the sprinklers without warning, and-"

Monokid cut her short. "Are you fuckin' slow? That was the joke." 

"Why are the sprinklers so powerful?" Himiko complained. "They hurt." 

"They have to be powerful," Monokuma replied. "They're supposed to put out the fire." 

"They seem stronger than necessary..." Rantaro said. 

"I don't want the dormitories burning down," Monokuma said.

"But you know that this is a drill," Tenko argued. "Can't you just turn them off? It's not like there's a real fire." 

Monokuma shook his head. "Nope, it's part of the drill." 

"Then why weren't they on yesterday?" Ryoma challenged him.

"To make this truly feel like hell," Monokuma smirked. "You didn't think things could get any worse, and then they did. Ahahahaha!" he roared with laughter.

"So...the sprinklers are going to trigger every two hours?" Tsumugi said weakly.

"Yup," Monokuma said. 

Shuichi groaned. With the sprinklers triggering every two hours, his dorm room was never going to dry out. The thought of returning to his soaking wet bed was incredibly unappealing.

Monotaro emerged from the dormitories. His raincoat was wet, indicating that the sprinklers were still running. "All-clear! You worms can go back to bed."

"Are the sprinklers going to stop now?" Shuichi asked, maintaining his focus on the ground.

"They should turn themselves off in a couple of minutes." Monokuma informed him, providing some useful information for once. 

Monokuma and his Kubs went back towards the school building and the students returned to the dormitories. The sprinklers had stopped, but the building had practically flooded.

Tenko was in dismay. "How are we going to sleep in this? Everything's wet." 

"These conditions are out of order," Korekiyo agreed. "Our beds will be drenched."

"I don't think we have much choice," Kaito scratched his head. "We've gotta make the most of the time we're allowed to sleep." 

"This fuckin' sucks," Miu complained. 

"I can't sleep in this," Himiko said. 

"If we don't sleep now, we're going to feel even worse during the day." Rantaro pointed out. 

"We are all so tired that it should be easy to fall asleep," Angie said, thinking positively. 

"I suppose all we can do is try..." Kaito said. 

The students had to try and get some sleep, so they returned to their rooms. Shuichi's was just as flooded as the landing, with the water reaching his ankles. He couldn't help but wonder if his television was still working after all the water damage. He attempted to get back into bed, but everything was soaked, from the mattress to his pillows. It was ridiculous, there was no way that he could sleep in such poor conditions. Even though he was exhausted, he knew that he wouldn't fall asleep anytime soon. His pyjamas were rubbing against his skin, the wet fabric an uncomfortable nuisance. If he stayed in his wet clothes in his wet room, he was going to get ill.

The dark, wet, room left Shuichi feeling claustrophobic, so in a fit of desperation, he decided he would head outside for some fresh air. He needed to think clearly without feeling like he was trapped. Although it was nighttime, he felt fairly safe. With so many potential witnesses nearby, committing a murder outside the dormitories seemed unlikely. So long as he stayed close to the brightly lit building, he would be okay.  

Before he left, Shuichi changed into a fresh pair of pyjamas. Thankfully, they were dry, as they'd been stored in his wardrobe. He rolled the bottom of his trousers up to his knees, to protect them from the flooding. Unfortunately, there were no spare hats in the wardrobe, so he was forced to take his original one, which was sopping wet. He didn't put it on just yet, because if no one was around, he could let it dry out. 

The dormitory hallway was deserted, but outside, Shuichi wouldn't be alone. Kaito was sat at one of the picnic benches, underneath the shelter, opposite the dorms. He was coughing profusely, a sweat across his brow, his face much paler than usual. Upon spotting Kaito, Shuichi quickly put on his hat. It was wet, but he felt too insecure without it. 

“K-Kaito?” Shuichi called, hurrying to his side. “Are you okay?” it was a bit of stupid question, upon reflection.

“I-I-” Kaito attempted to speak, but he couldn’t get his words out. Once the coughing calmed down, he was finally able to talk. “I’m fine. I think I’ve got a bit of a dry throat."

Shuichi looked at the Astronaut sceptically; this was more than just a dry throat. "Are you sure? That didn't sound good."

“I’m fine.” Kaito brushed him aside. He quickly changed the subject, so Shuichi decided not to pursue the topic. However, he noticed the attempt to steer him away. “You can’t sleep either then?”

Shuichi shook his head. “My bed is soaked; there's no way I can fall asleep. I'm exhausted, but it's too uncomfortable."

“That’s why I’m out here.” Kaito shared, as he nodded in agreement. "I took one look at my room and left."

Shuichi wondered if this was true, or was Kaito outside so no one heard his extreme coughing fit?

“I thought the fire alarms were bad enough yesterday,” Shuichi said honestly. “But with the sprinklers too...this is unbearable. I mean, we're going to get wet every two hours."

Kaito sighed. “Everyone’s gonna get ill at this rate. It can’t be healthy standing around in the cold when you’re drenched.”

"It's inhumane," Shuichi shook his head in disbelief. "I...I really don't know what we're going to do." 

"There's nothing we can do," Kaito shrugged. "The only way to stop this is murder. Monokuma's made that pretty clear."

"I know that we can't stop it," Shuichi said. "But, we can't live like this forever. Sooner or later people are going to start passing out and I'm sure Monokuma will punish them for it."

"I hope it doesn't come to that." Kaito shuddered. "This entire thing is messed up."

"It is." Shuichi sighed, lowering his head.

"Hey...Shuichi," Kaito said. "What do you think? What do you think about all this?"

"What do you mean?" Shuichi replied.

"The killing game and the Ultimate Academy." Kaito elaborated. "Do you really believe that we're criminals paying for our crimes? Or is this some lunatic playing a sadistic game?"

"I..." Shuichi hesitated to collect his thoughts. "Honestly, I don't know. The idea of being a criminal seems ridiculous to me because it couldn't be further from who I am. But this entire setup seems legitimate. I can't imagine a deranged lunatic being able to create something like this. I was in Kaede's lab earlier today and it was incredibly detailed. A lot of thought and money has gone into this academy. I'm not sure if one person could be capable of that." 

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Kaito nodded. "Although, maybe they're a billionaire."

"Maybe..." Shuichi said uncertainly. "But if we were being held here against our will then wouldn't the police be looking for us? Or our families?" 

"Eh, when you put it like that," Kaito frowned. "I guess this place is pretty big. It's not like we're in someone's basement. Maybe it is real." 

"Our missing memories must be the key to everything that's going on," Shuichi said. "Maybe they'll return to us, and then things will start to make sense." 

"We can only hope," Kaito said. "Oh, and that reminds me of something else I've been meaning to ask you. Look at the academy..." he watched as Shuichi's head turned. "It's huge, right? Surely, there's gotta be more than two floors."

"There has to be." Shuichi agreed. "So far we only have access to two of the talent development labs, but there should be sixteen. They're probably on the other floors."

"Good thinking," Kaito said. "I guess they're locked away for now then."

"They must be," Shuichi said. "There is that locked door on the way to the gymnasium, so maybe that leads to another staircase?" 

"I wonder how long we'll have to wait until we get the rest of the labs," Kaito pondered.

Shuichi was glad he'd come outside, as talking to Kaito helped relax him. They hadn't spent any time alone together before, but Kaito seemed like a nice, reliable person, and Shuichi felt safe in his presence. They'd been talking for a while, so the boys decided that they might as well stay outside until the next fire alarm. At 2 am, they were greeted by the familiar sound. 

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

_'There’s a fire, everyone must evacuate the building immediately.’_

The boys waited patiently for everyone to exit the building. Kokichi was the first outside, instantly suspicious to see Shuichi and Kaito sat together. 

"Sorry, I haven't interrupted your date, have I?" Kokichi teased them, approaching the picnic table.

"Don't be ridiculous." Kaito scoffed. 

"But you both look so cosy!" Kokichi insisted. "Or maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick and you're planning a murder. Shuichi would be my first choice of accomplice; it's always good to have the detective on your side." 

Shuichi ignored him, in favour of greeting Kaede, who had just emerged from the dormitories. By looking at the Pianist, Shuichi knew that the sprinklers had gone off again, as Kaede was sporting the look of a drowned rat. 

The six bears soon showed up. Monosuke went to perform the all-clear, whilst the others spoke to the students.

"It's good to know that the sprinklers are still working, Father," Monotaro smirked. 

Maki looked the bears up and down. "How come you're not wet?" it was clear to see that their raincoats and fur were dry. 

"Because we weren't under the sprinklers, duh!" Monokid said rudely.

"But the sprinklers are triggered by the fire alarm," Korekiyo pointed out. "How did you avoid them?" 

"The sprinklers in the dormitories are separate from the ones in the main school building," Monophanie explained. "When the dormitory fire alarm is triggered, it only turns on those sprinklers." 

"So if someone set off a fire alarm in the main school building, then those sprinklers would come on, but the dormitories would stay dry. Right?" Kaede asked, coming to terms with what she'd been told. 

"Yup, that's right." Monotaro nodded. 

"So, right now, the main building is dry..." Ryoma concluded. 

"That gives me an idea..." Kaede said, her eyes widening in excitement. "We can all sleep inside the academy! I've seen sleeping bags in the warehouse and cushions too. So we could set up camp somewhere."

"What a beautiful idea, Kaede," Angie clapped her hands together. "We will not be defeated by the motive."

“Where are we supposed to sleep?” Tenko asked. “The gym and the dining hall are off limits during nighttime, and the classrooms don’t seem very spacious.”

“Oh,” Kaede paused. “I didn’t think of that.”

"Library?" Gonta suggested.

"Ah, yes!" Kaede exclaimed. "The library is a perfect size. Thank you, Gonta."

"Gonta want to help!" Gonta said proudly. "Gonta is gentleman!"

"It stinks like ass down there," Miu complained, turning up her nose. 

"But if we continue in these wet conditions, we're going to get ill," Kaede warned her, facing the truth. 

"...I'm not sure about the idea of everyone sleeping together..." Tsumugi said hesitantly, voicing her concerns. “Doesn’t it seem dangerous with everyone asleep out in the open? What if someone commits murder?!”

"With everyone unconscious, it would be the perfect opportunity for a killer to strike..." Korekiyo said darkly. 

"I could stay awake and keep guard," Tenko offered. "That way, I can ensure that none of the nasty degenerates attack anyone." 

"The killer could be a girl too, ya know." Kaito frowned.

"This plan doesn't seem very fair on you, Tenko," Shuichi said, thinking rationally. "If you stay awake, you're going to be even more exhausted than the rest of us. It increases your chances of falling asleep by accident. What if you fall asleep whilst you're on guard?"

"How dare a degenerate underestimate me!" Tenko scowled. "I'm perfectly capable of keeping guard and staying awake!"

"It's not that I doubt you, but I don't think you realise how easy it is to fall asleep. You'll have no one to talk to or nothing to distract you," Shuichi reasoned. "Think about all the drivers that fall asleep at the wheel and cause accidents. I'm sure those people think they're capable of staying awake."

"If our guard falls asleep, then everyone is vulnerable," Korekiyo said. "With all of us in one place, we would be sitting ducks for a potential killer." 

Monokuma joined in, having listened to their discussion. "If you do sleep inside the library, I still expect you back out here for the fire drill role call."

Kaede sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't go with my idea. If someone died, I would never forgive myself." 

The idea was scrapped and the all-clear was given. Shuichi returned to his soaking wet room, as he couldn't sit awake with Kaito all night. He looked at his bed, accepting that he couldn't sleep there, no matter what. It crossed his mind that he could sneak over to the main building and sleep in one of the classrooms, but he was paranoid that someone might find him and he would become the first victim of the killing game. He had felt safe outside the dormitories, but inside the main school building, no one would hear his screams. Shuichi stood there helplessly, deciding what to do, when he suddenly thought of a brilliant idea. 

The Detective peered inside his ensuite bathroom. As he had hoped, there were no sprinklers inside, so the room was perfectly dry. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than being wet. The bathroom would be his makeshift bedroom for the night. He couldn't use any of his bedding, so he grabbed some spare pyjamas from his wardrobe, which he used as a pillow. Like a dog, he curled up on the floor and fell asleep.

 

***

 

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

_'There’s a fire, everyone must evacuate the building immediately.’_

Shuichi had successfully fallen asleep until the next alarm, which felt like a small but important victory. He sat up slowly, grateful not to have been woken by the sprinkler. That being said, he had an awful cramp in his neck, the result of sleeping on the floor. He found himself in a lot of pain, unable to turn his head without wincing. 

As the alarm continued to sound, Shuichi prepared himself to leave the bathroom. He made a run for it, bolting towards the exit. It wasn't helping his neck, but the longer he stayed inside, the wetter he would get. There was only a limited number of spare pyjamas he could change into. He was able to make outside in no more than twenty seconds, which was rather impressive considering he had to unlock his door. 

Outside, the ultimates huddled together. They spoke amongst themselves as Monophanie checked over the dormitories. 

"I don't think I got any sleep, not even for a minute," Kaito complained, his purple hair flat from the water.

"I fell asleep for a few minutes, I think...." Tsumugi said uncertainty. 

"I couldn't sleep either," Angie shared. "But then I prayed to Atua and I was out like a light! You should try it next time." 

"Can we reconsider the sleeping in the library idea?" Himiko asked. "I wanna sleep somewhere dry."

"Ah, I'm so glad you mentioned that," Kokichi smiled, appearing sincere. "I really wanted to murder someone in their sleep, but then everybody gave up on the idea!"

"K-Kokichi!" a horrified Gonta gasped. "How...how could you?"

"Nehehe, don't worry, it was just a lie," he reassured Gonta, although his menacing smile wasn't exactly comforting.

"On second thoughts, I'd rather get wet..." Himiko said.

"How come you look so dry?" Rantaro asked Shuichi, staring at him in confusion. 

"I slept in my bathroom," Shuichi explained. "There aren't any sprinklers in there, so it's dry. It's not exactly comfortable, but it's better than nothing." 

"That's clever," Rantaro grinned. "I think I'm gonna have to try that myself."

Shuichi's idea was met with high praise. It seemed like the only safe solution to get some sleep without getting wet. As the students returned to the dormitories, they discussed how they were going to follow in his footsteps. 

Back in the bathroom, Shuichi curled up on the floor again. However, his technique was not so successful this time. As he lay on the floor, his neck cramp only grew worse, making it difficult to fall asleep. He found himself staring at a ceiling for a while before he eventually drifted off. 

 

 

***

 

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

_'There’s a fire, everyone must evacuate the building immediately.’_

At 6 am, the final fire alarm of the night sounded. Once the all-clear was given, Shuichi chose not to return to bed. He was still very tired, but his neck cramp was getting the better of him. It wasn't worth the pain for an extra two hours of sleep. Rantaro felt the same way, so the boys decided that they would go and check on Shuichi's video camera. As they made their way to the main school building, it came to Shuichi's attention that his spare video camera, currently charging in his room, was probably broken due to the sprinklers. They stopped by the warehouse on the way to the library, so that he could take another. Thankfully, they were plenty spare. Whilst in the warehouse, Rantaro helped himself to a blanket, wrapping it around himself and passing one to Shuichi too. The academy felt especially cold in the morning. 

Inside the library, Shuichi eagerly retrieved his video camera, but his expectations were met with disappointment. Just like before, there was nothing of interest. The only person to show up on camera was Korekiyo, but he was browsing the books. 

"Korekiyo again," Rantaro remarked.

"I suppose it makes sense," Shuichi said. "As an Anthropologist, he must do a lot of reading." 

"That's true," Rantaro agreed. "He hasn't interfered with the secret shelf at all."

"I'm beginning to wonder if the mole has caught onto my plan." Shuichi frowned, sharing his concerns with his friend.

"Really?" Rantaro replied, appearing surprised.

"I mean, there's still nothing," Shuichi said. "Perhaps Monokuma caught on and told them." 

"I'm not sure, I wouldn't lose hope yet," Rantaro said positively. "As I said before, the mole won't want to make unnecessary visits." 

Feeling somewhat defeated, Shuichi switched over the video cameras. He decided to wipe the footage of the other camera and return it to the warehouse, as it would only get destroyed in his room. He would have to find somewhere else to charge them, although he wasn't sure where.

Soon enough, the clock struck eight and the morning alarm sounded. 

"Looks like we should go to the dining hall," Rantaro said.

  

***

 

Sixteen zombies entered the canteen that morning, with their eyes barely open and drool still lingering around their mouths. One night of broken sleep was bad enough, but two was ruinous. Kirumi was rushing around the kitchen preparing breakfast, but her efforts were wasted because no one was hungry.

Shuichi had a pounding headache; the result of his awful sleeping pattern. He didn’t want to eat. In fact, the thought of food made his stomach turn. All he wanted was to curl up in bed. Hearing Kirumi move around pots and pans was only making his headache worse.

Everyone was slumped around the table in silence. Keebo was the only one with energy, but he could read the room and remained quiet. Kaito ate a few mouthfuls of the oatmeal that Kirumi had prepared, but even he pushed the bowl away defeatedly. After a minute or two of boredom, he brought the bowl back and tried to eat some more.

“...Can you not eat so loudly?” Tenko groaned, covering her ears with her hands.

“I’m not doing it on purpose.” Kaito protested.

“The sounds you’re making are disgusting.” Maki agreed.

“So it’s a crime to eat breakfast now.” Kaito huffed. “Maybe if you guys appreciated the food Kirumi has made us, you wouldn’t be listening to me eat.” he pushed his bowl away again out of frustration. 

“Woah, everyone is touchy this morning!” Kokichi laughed, finding humour in the situation.

“Monokuma knows exactly what he’s doing.” Kaede sighed. “Everyone’s so tired, that we’re all just snapping at each other.”

The mood would be nowhere near as sour if everyone was well rested, Shuichi knew this was true. He felt highly irritable himself, so keeping his mouth shut was the best option. He couldn’t remember the last time he had ever felt this tired. Headaches weren't the only consequence of little sleep, emotions were running high too. Tsumugi dropped her spoon on the floor and instantly burst into tears.

“Tsumugi, what’s the matter?” Kaede gasped.

“I...I don’t even know why I’m crying.” Tsumugi sniffed. “I just feel so tired and now my spoon is on the floor, I couldn’t even eat my breakfast properly.”

“No one should be awake this long.” Himiko groaned.

"It's messing with our emotions." Tenko agreed. 

“We can’t keep this up,” Ryoma commented. “Soon enough, someone’s gonna pass out.”

“It’s going to be Kirumi if she doesn’t sit down,” Kaede said, clearly concerned. “She shouldn’t overwork herself like this.”

Kirumi was still in the kitchen, squeezing fresh oranges to make juice for everyone. She hadn’t stopped since they’d arrived at the dining hall.

“I don’t understand why she’s overworking herself so much,” Rantaro said. “No one's even touching the food she’s made.”

"It's not like we need fresh orange juice," Kaito said. "I've seen cartons of it in the warehouse." 

"Maybe she's trying to keep our spirits lifted," Tenko suggested. "If Kirumi crumbled, I think we'd all lose it." 

"I feel bad for her," Kaede sighed. "I think I better tell her to stop." 

"Perhaps Kirumi doesn't want to stop," Korekiyo put forward, offering a different opinion. "Keeping herself busy might be what is keeping Kirumi sane. Taking away her distraction could result in further misery."

"I suppose I would feel better if I had something to focus on," Rantaro agreed, understanding what Korekiyo had to say. "It's hard not to feel miserable when you're just sitting thinking about everything." 

“Miserable you say?...”

An unwanted voice joined in with their conversation, as Monokuma entered the dining hall. The bear was grinning from ear to ear. "Well then, it seems like my motive is working perfectly! They don’t call this Hell on Earth for nothing.”

"What you're doing is basically torture," Tenko argued. 

"That's not true," Monokuma disagreed. "Despite the fire alarms, you can still get a full eight hours of sleep." 

"Hardly." Kaito frowned. "We're woken up every two hours, so it's disrupted. And now with the sprinklers, our beds are soakin' wet. Those aren't livable conditions!"

“I don’t know why you’re all complaining so much,” Monokuma said. “If you’re really that unhappy, you know how you can return things back to normal.”

“Murder…” said Keebo, with heavy impact.

“Keebo!” Gonta gasped.

“W-what, I wasn’t considering it!” Keebo cried, quickly defending himself. “I was just answering Monokuma’s question.”

Kaede glared at Monokuma. “If you think we’d turn to murder just to get some sleep, then you’ve underestimated us badly.”

“And if you think I’ll stop here, then you’ve underestimated _me_ badly.” Monokuma retorted. “Sure, things feel pretty awful now, but this is only day two of the motive. Imagine how you’re going to feel in a few weeks time, months maybe! Possibly even years...”

“I...I don’t want to think about that.” Himiko admitted, her shoulders drooping.

“Well too bad, cuz you’re gonna have to!” Monokuma roared. “Ahahahaha.”

"Do you want something?" Maki glared at the bear.

"Not really," Monokuma replied casually. "I just came to see how everyone is getting on with the motive. It's exciting, isn't it?!" 

"If you've got nothing important to say then leave us alone," Maki said coldly. 

"Fine, I'll go," Monokuma said. “But remember, you might be able to get rid of me, but you can’t get rid of the motive! Not unless you choose to kill…”

Leaving a bad taste in their mouths, Monokuma went away. His presence was headache inducing, especially given the current circumstances. His reminder of the motive only made everyone feel worse. Were their lives really going to be like this forever?

"I didn't think it was possible to feel any worse than I already do," Tsumugi sighed. "But something about Monokuma makes me feel terrible."

"Come now, Tsumugi, do not be so dishearted." Angie reached out, taking Tsumugi's hand, smiling warmly. "Let Atua guide you. Ignore what Monokuma has to say; we can still make this heaven on earth."

“Will you drop that already?” Kokichi groaned. “It’s getting _reallllly_ annoying. If we got a yen every time you said that irritating phrase, Miu would actually have enough money to buy a personality change and maybe a new pair of tits.”

"Hey!" Miu objected. "I-I don't need new tits. They're big enough already. I see Pooichi always lusting after them."

"I do not!" Shuichi cried.

Korekiyo interrupted their drama. "I have to admit, 'Atua' has become rather repetitive."

“It’s plain to see that this isn’t heaven.” Tsumugi sighed.

“Do you not feel Atua’s presence?” Angie cocked her head.

“Atua isn’t here when we’re being woken up every two hours during the night,” Tenko said curtly. "Atua hasn't fixed my shower, even though it burns my skin."

“See, Angie?!” Kokichi challenged her. “No one wants to hear your prayers anymore. Do you really believe this is heaven on earth or are you trying to convince yourself? Atua isn’t coming to rescue us, _no one_ is coming to help us. Your fake God won't change anything.”

Angie didn’t argue with Kokichi; she remained quiet - resulting in a very uncomfortable atmosphere.

“Kokichi, there is no need to be so harsh.” Kirumi stepped in as she placed a jug of fresh orange juice on the table.

Like the others, Shuichi had grown tired hearing Atua's name every two minutes. It was irritating having Angie force positivity down their throats when nothing was getting better. Still, calling Angie out on it felt mean. Everyone seemed to have their own coping mechanisms for the situation, so if Atua was helping to keep Angie sane, good for her.

“I’m going to host a prayer circle outside,” Angie said, her tone sharper than usual. “Does anyone wish to join me?”

“Gonta will come!” Gonta stood up.

“I want to speak to Atua.” Tsumugi nodded. “I feel plain emotional today.”

“Tsumugi, you just said Atua isn’t helping us.” Kaede pointed out.

Tsumugi shrugged. “Maybe if we pray hard enough, Atua will shine through.”

“I’ll come,” Himiko said.

“Himiko?!?” Tenko exclaimed, horrified at the Magician's decision.

“Are you coming, Tenko?” Angie asked.

“Uh, no thanks.” Tenko pulled a face of disgust.

No one else wanted to join Angie's prayer circle, so the four of them left the room.

“I’m surprised people actually went with her,” Rantaro admitted, leaning back in his chair.

“Why did Himiko go?” Tenko frowned, clearly consumed by Himiko's actions.

“It seems like they all want a distraction,” Korekiyo suggested.

“You were pretty harsh, Kokichi,” Kaede said sternly. “I hope Angie’s okay.”

“Oh c’mon, we were all getting fed up of it!” Kokichi exclaimed. "I was just the one who said something."

“People often cling to their Gods when times become most challenging,” Korekiyo shared his wisdom. "However, bad things happen when Gods are relied upon too much."

“She can keep her mumbo-jumbo bullshit away from me,” said Miu, rolling her eyes.

Shuichi was also fed up of hearing Angie’s false positivity, but she wasn’t hurting anyone. Angie wasn’t being malicious or winding them up on purpose, she was doing her best to keep their spirits up. Perhaps they were all being cruel.

“We should decide what we’re doing today,” Kaito said, changing the subject. “Exercise or quizzes don’t seem to be on the cards…”

“Do whatever you want, because I’m not staying,” Maki announced, sliding out her chair from underneath the table.

“Same.” Ryoma agreed, getting to his feet also.

“You guys are bailing?” Kaito frowned, clearly disappointed.

“Did you block yesterday from your brain?” Maki raised her eyebrows. “Of course I’m bailing.”

Shuichi would have loved some alone time, but he was so tired that he knew it was a dangerous decision. He'd rather deal with his headache and stay with the others than be demolished by the Exisals.

“So, what can we do?” Tsumugi asked the group. 

“I could host a Neo-Aikido class!” Tenko offered.

“Uh, no thanks…” Kaito immediately shot down the idea. He had already experienced some of Tenko’s Aikido moves on the first day.

“If you are looking for something to do, we could work together to clean up the library,” Kirumi suggested. “I have been meaning to complete that task myself, but if it would help you stay awake, I would love for you to join me.”

As soon as the words left Kirumi's mouth, Shuichi felt his entire body tense up. From his perspective, cleaning the library was a terrible idea, as it posed a high risk of discovering the secret Monokuma door and his planted video camera. In a desperate attempt to steer them away, he tried to think up another plan, but nothing came to mind. He shot Rantaro a panicked look, in hopes he could help.

Rantaro seemed to have caught on, as he jumped in. "If no one fancies cleaning, we could play some video games down in the basement?" 

"If you all have headaches, that doesn't sound like the best idea," Keebo said. "From my understanding, focusing on screens only worsens headaches and induces eyestrain." 

Rantaro turned back to Shuichi with a look on his face that said 'sorry, I tried'. 

Aware of the situation too, Kaede offered her own suggestion. "We could come to my lab and I'll perform for you all?" 

"That is a kind gesture, Kaede," Korekiyo said. "But I find piano music soothing, so it will only make me sleepier." 

"Same here." Kaito agreed. "Maybe another time, Kaede." 

"It sounds boring as shit anyway," Miu said rudely. "I don't wanna listen to your classical crap." 

His friends were out of ideas and Shuichi didn't have any of his own. He could hardly cry out and tell them not to clean up the library when he didn't have a better suggestion. He found himself with no other choice but to agree.

The others approved of Kirumi's cleaning idea, so Shuichi found himself heading down into the basement. Without Maki, Ryoma, or the Prayer group, there were ten of them. This was more than enough people needed for the job, but at least it would lighten the workload.

"To begin, we need to dust down the shelves," Kirumi instructed. "In order to do this, we must first remove the books. We can organise them in neat piles on the floor."

“What’s the point in dusting the shelves if no one sees them anyway?” Kokichi objected.

"Even though people might not see the dust, I would like the library thoroughly cleaned," Kirumi said. "When doing a job, you must do it properly."

"Besides, we wanna kill as much time as possible," Kaito reasoned. "Otherwise, we're just going to sit around thinking about how tired we are."

The students were tasked with taking all of the books from the shelves and making neat piles on the floor. Shuichi made a beeline for the bookshelf where his camera was hidden, as he didn’t want anyone to touch it. The book was flimsy, since most of its pages had been removed. Someone just had to open the book and his secret would be exposed. Annoyingly, he couldn’t keep an eye on the secret bookshelf too. He hoped Rantaro or Kaede would've guarded it, but Miu seemed to have gotten there first, before either of them had the chance. However, since the secret bookshelf was controlled by a hidden button, not a mechanism involving a book, he crossed his fingers that it would go unnoticed.

For an hour or so, the students worked in silence. Shuichi found it rather calming and noticed that his headache had eased up a little. During the tidying process, he came across  _'18th Century British History'_ , the book concealing his video camera. Shuichi wished he could have taken the book and hidden it away, but it far too large, so he was left with no choice but to put in the pile with all of the others.

“Ha! You won’t fuckin’ believe it!” Miu shouted from across the room, appearing exceptionally pleased with herself.

“Miu, is everything okay?” Kirumi asked.

“This gorgeous girl genius has just discovered something pretty spectacular: a secret button!” as soon as the words were out of Miu’s mouth, Shuichi felt his blood run cold.

“A secret button?” Tenko repeated.

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Miu rolled her eyes. “Here, look!” she pointed out its location, hidden in the bookshelf. “I noticed it when taking out the books."

"I wonder what it's for." Tenko pondered. 

"I'm gonna push it!" Miu exclaimed, her eyes filled with excitement.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be so rash…” Shuichi tried to stop her, but Miu wasn’t listening.

The Ultimate Inventor pushed the button, triggering the bookcase to open, revealing the secret Monokuma door. As soon as it was exposed, there were a series of gasps throughout the room. The students quickly gathered around it, filled with curiosity.

“Pfftt who woulda thunk it!” Miu cackled. “The pubeless virgin detective didn’t even notice this secret door, but me, the girl with boobs _and_ a brain did.”

Her taunts were infuriating, but Shuichi refused to rise to it. Things weren't looking good, but if Shuichi kept his mouth shut, it might be okay, as his video camera trap was still a secret.

“What is this place?” Tenko gasped.

"A mastermind's lair, obviously!" Kokichi exclaimed. "It's something I know all about."

"A mastermind?" Kirumi said gently, taking everything in.

A mastermind...could it be? A mastermind would imply that someone was behind the whole operation...the academy...the killing game. This would mean someone wasn't just working for Monokuma, they  _were_ Monokuma. 

“With a Monokuma door, I’d say so. No sane person would make such a shitty design choice.” Kaito remarked.

“What if it’s just Monokuma’s bedroom or something?” Tenko put forward.

“I don’t think so.” Kaito disagreed. “Why would he hide his bedroom in the library?”

“If this secret room does belong to the mastermind, then I believe that leads us to a rather obvious and disturbing conclusion,” Korekiyo said, his voice chilling. 

“Stop speakin' in creep language." Miu scowled. "What are you talkin' about?”

“Well, if the mastermind has a secret room, which is accessed through the library, it is safe to assume that they are one of us,” Korekiyo whispered eerily. "The library is a room that we all have access to. The mastermind could come and go through the library and no one would notice." 

The room fell silent and Shuichi’s mood tumbled with it. He was pleased that the students could make such bold conclusions, since it showed they shared in his theory, but they really didn’t have the common sense to keep their mouths shut.

"But is there really a mastermind behind this?" Tenko asked. "I thought this was being run by the government or something." 

"Yeah, I kinda doubt that a high school student organised something like this." Kaito scratched his head.

"I could do it." Kokichi bragged. 

"Maybe this isn't a mastermind that we're dealing with, but a mole?" Keebo put forward. "They could be spying for Monokuma." 

"That makes more sense," Kaito agreed. 

"So...does that mean someone in the school is a traitor?" Tenko gasped. "I bet it's one of the Degenerates!"

“Oi, Pooichi!” Miu called. “What do you think?”

Shuichi was hesitant to speak. "Hmm?"

“C’mon don’t just stand there!” Miu growled. “You’re supposed to be the Ultimate Detective. Whadda you think about the mastermind’s lair?” she rudely clicked her fingers in his face. 

"W-well, I..." Shuichi stuttered over his words, afraid to reveal too much. 

"Hmm, maybe Shuichi isn't saying anything cuz he's the mole..." Kokichi said slyly, planting a theory in everyone's mind. "Looks like you've just rumbled him."

"D-don't be ridiculous!" Shuichi denied, trying his best to stay calm. "I'm not the mole."

"A bit suspicious though, isn't it?" Kokichi posed. "The Ultimate Detective doesn't notice a secret door. Surely that's one of the first things they teach you at Detective School."

Shuichi decided to ignore the 'Detective School' comment. "I'm not the mole."

 _"I don't believe you!_ " Kokichi sang, teasing Shuichi further.

"It's suspicious as fuck!" Miu snapped. "You shoulda been the first person to notice this! Maybe you already did and that's when Monokuma recruited you to be his mole." 

"Or were you his mole before we even woke up?" Kokichi asked. "Are you really an Ultimate student?" 

It upset Shuichi how much the others were relying on him as a Detective, a title that he was desperate to shake. Just because he hadn't exposed the secret door, he was now the mole in their eyes. 

Kaede and Rantaro had kept quiet during the mastermind/mole discussion, probably afraid to say too much. The real mole could be in the room. So long as the video camera remained hidden, the real mole would be unaware.

“Come on, let’s get back to work,” Kaede said, coming to Shuichi’s rescue, taking the pressure off him. “Shuichi hasn’t spent much time in the library, so it’s hardly surprising that he didn’t notice the secret button.”

Shuichi was grateful for Kaede’s help, as she was able to get everybody to focus on their tasks again. Nobody made any more allegations, although Shuichi could feel eyes boring into him from behind his back.

Miu was on an ego trip, convinced that she didn’t have to do any more work now that she had discovered the secret door. “Y'know, I could make a machine that clears up these books in seconds.” she bragged, leaning against one of the shelves.

“Then why don’t you?” Kaito challenged her.

“Why would I waste my precious time on that?” Miu retorted. “My inventions are way more interesting! My latest project is the nipple flicker. If it flicks yours, you instantly become in the mood.”

“That seems...wrong,” Rantaro remarked.

“I bet you’d love to use it on Kaede!” Miu smirked.

“Hey!” Kaede protested.

“Oh sorry, would you rather Pooichi play with it instead?” Miu grinned.

“Just...no.” Shuichi shuddered. “Do you have any other inventions you could tell us about?” he wanted to take her off of the subject of flicking nipples.

“Oh sure.” Miu nodded. “One of my best inventions is the poo-splosion.”

“Do I even want to know what that is?” Shuichi asked warily.

“It’s perfect for you actually, Pooichi.” Miu laughed. “It’s shaped like a water pistol. You point it at a person, squeeze the handle, and that person gets instant diarrhoea. Ahahaha!”

“That can’t be real.” Rantaro shook his head in disbelief.

“Want me to test it on you?” Miu narrowed her brow at him.

“Kind offer, but I’ll pass,” Rantaro said. 

“Why do you even need an invention like that?” Kaito asked.

“Cuz it’s funny.” Miu grinned.

“Just keep that invention in your lab, okay?” Rantaro said. “In fact, keep them all in your lab…”

Shuichi refrained from asking Miu about any more of her inventions since he imagined them to be equally disturbing. He continued working quietly, making neat piles of the dusty books. Midway through the morning, Angie showed her face along with her disciples.

“Good morning, everyone.” Angie smiled, greeting her classmates. She seemed in a brighter mood than earlier.

“Oh, hi Angie,” Kaede greeted her. “Have you been looking for us?”

“Atua told me you were here,” Angie replied.

"Really?" Gonta was surprised. "Then why we look in dining hall and classrooms first?"

Despite being rumbled, Angie gave an excuse. "Atua wanted us to exercise more."

“Jeez, this is pathetic…” Kokichi muttered.

"We're cleaning the library," Kirumi informed the new arrivals. “There is still a lot to do, if you wish to join us.”

"All of us will help!" Angie smiled, speaking on behalf of the others, without their permission. "This is exactly what Atua wants! We will transform the academy into paradise." 

“Nyeh, I don’t want to clean.” Himiko sulked.

“It’s okay, Himiko, you can sit with me,” Tenko offered. “We can share the workload together.”

Himiko wasn't interested at all. “I'll stay with Angie and Tsumugi...”

"Well, can I join you?" Tenko asked. "The four of us can work together to sort the books."

Himiko shook her head. "You'd just make it crowded..."

Four pairs of extra hands sped up the tidying process significantly. Soon enough, all of the books had been removed from the shelves. However, the job was not done. Cleaning supplies were needed, to properly finish the task. So Kirumi headed to the warehouse, with Angie and Tsumugi in toe to help carry back additional supplies. Shuichi took the opportunity to have a much-needed rest, resorting to the floor since there were no chairs to sit on.

The trio returned and the cleaning continued. With rags and feather dusters in hand, they made it their mission to banish the dust. When the shelves were no longer dusty, it was time to return the books to their homes.

“We don’t have to put the books back exactly where they came from, right?” Kaito asked.

“The books do not belong anywhere specific,” Kirumi replied. “We just need to return them to the shelves neatly.”

In a panic, Shuichi scanned the room for his copy of ‘ _18th Century British History’,_ but he couldn’t see it anywhere. He was surrounded by a sea of books, so unless he got down on his hands and knees and started hunting, he wasn’t going to find it. He tried to remember where he’d placed the book earlier, but he couldn’t think. Distracted by the Monokuma door, he'd gotten distracted. Wherever it was, more books had been stacked on top of it. 

Throughout the remainder of the tidying process, Shuichi was on edge. He kept a constant eye out for his book, but it was nowhere to be seen. As the pile of books grew smaller, Shuichi started to feel sick. When he heard Tenko squeal loudly, he knew he'd been rumbled. He turned to face her, spotting  _'18th Century British History'_ in her right hand and a video camera in her left.

"Tenko, are you okay?" a concerned Kirumi asked. 

"I...I just found this..." Tenko said, holding up the video camera. "It fell out of this book." 

“Yoink!” Kokichi snuck up on Tenko, stealing the video camera from her.

“Hey!” Tenko protested. “How did you do that?” she seemed surprised more than anything.  
  
“I’m wouldn’t be a very good supreme leader if I couldn’t pickpocket,” Kokichi explained. “Now, let’s see...what do we have here?”

Shuichi watched in horror as Kokichi turned on the video camera and selected ‘media’. He wished he could have stopped him, but nothing was going to distract Kokichi from this.

“Well, well…” Kokichi said, a smirk spreading across his face. “Looks like Sherlock Holmes is back in the hot seat…”

Kokichi had paused the footage on screen at the exact moment Shuichi was caught on camera. It was from when Shuichi had pressed record and put the video camera back in the book that morning. It was an innocent action, but it did look suspicious out of context.

“Pooichi _is_ a perv! I knew it!” Miu exclaimed, jabbing a finger in his direction. “Filming girls in the library, are we? Hoping to get a panty shot? If you wanted to look up my skirt that badly, you only had to ask.”

“I’m not a perv,” Shuichi argued. “It’s not what you think-”

Miu cut him short. “Lie all you want, but that hat of yours told me everything I need to know.”

"What's going on?" Tsumugi asked, completely out of the loop. 

"Oh right, you guys missed it earlier," Miu said. "Well, this gorgeous girl genius discovered a secret door behind one of the bookshelves! We think it belongs to a mole who's spying on us."

"A mole?" Angie gasped.

"It's clearly Shuichi." Miu accused. "What are you filming girls for?" 

“Shuichi, what is the meaning of this?” Korekiyo asked.

“He’s the mastermind, it’s obvious!” Tenko exclaimed. “I knew something this evil could only be at the hands of a Degenerate male!”

“What’s going on, man?” Kaito frowned.

“I have to admit, this does seem rather suspicious.” Keebo joined in. “Shuichi, can you explain yourself?”

“Fine…” Shuichi sighed, accepting what he had to do. It was no good trying to keep up with the lie anymore because the secret door and video camera trap had been exposed. It was highly likely that the mole had witnessed the plan, making it pointless to hide. Of course, if either Maki or Ryoma was the mole, then things weren't over yet, but there was no real way of knowing. Besides, how long until one of the others let something slip? It was in Shuichi's best interest to convince the others that he wasn't the mole, otherwise, the other ultimates might gang up on him. "I've known about the secret door for some time-" 

"Yeah right." Miu scoffed, cutting him short.

"I have." Shuichi insisted. "I noticed friction marks on the carpet the very first time I visited the library. Like you guys, I concluded that someone here might be a mole. So, I set up a trap to catch them. I disguised a video camera in one of the books to film anyone who used the secret door."

Miu turned up her nose. “I could do better.”

Shuichi ignored her and carried on with his story. “I’ve been filming the secret bookshelf, but there’s been no luck so far," he revealed. "And now that everything has been exposed, it’s useless anyway."

“Don’t be so pessimistic, Shuichi.” Kaito insisted, slapping him on the back encouragingly.

“Kaito, no…” Shuichi said, shaking his head. “The mole knows that their secret location has been compromised. There’s no way they’re going to use it now.”

“Not necessarily,” Kaito disagreed. “Maki and Ryoma aren’t here.”

“Are you implying that one of them is the mole?” Rantaro raised his eyebrows.

“No,” Kaito said. “I’m just sayin’, Shuichi's plan might not be ruined." 

"The mole could be Maki or Ryoma, but we don't know whether that's true," Shuichi reasoned. "Say the mole isn't someone in this room, how long until someone slips up and says something?”

“It'll be Miu and that disgustingly large mouth of hers.” Kokichi criticized.

“Hey!” Miu protested. “Don’t give me shit, I discovered the hidden bookcase. You should be kissing my feet." 

“A discovery that's blown Shuichi’s plan to capture the mole." Kokichi retorted. 

“The mole could know now, so they won’t use the secret library entrance,” Rantaro said.

"God Shuichi, why did you have to reveal your plan like that?" Kokichi pouted, despite just blaming Miu. "You've ruined everything!"

"I didn't want to say anything!" Shuichi insisted, feeling irritated. "You forced my hand because you kept accusing me of being the mole."

“I must apologise,” Korekiyo said sincerely. “I did not realise that theorising about the mole could affect us all so negatively.”

“You don’t have to apologise,” Shuichi said. “It’s not your fault. I know that everyone was trying to help uncover the truth..”

It was a shame that his plan had been exposed, but Shuichi couldn't bring himself to blame the others, as they had only been trying to help. Well, maybe everyone except Kokichi, who seemed to be stirring drama by accusing Shuichi of being the mole. Feeling disheartened, Shuichi got back to work. He couldn’t be angry, but he did feel disappointed. 

“Everything aches,” Kaito complained, resting against a bookshelf. “How long ‘til nighttime? I’m desperate to sleep.”

“You'll sleep for two hours until the fire alarm goes off,” Rantaro remarked.

“Don’t remind me.” Kaito grimaced. “Can we stop for today? I don’t feel too good.” he did look rather pale.

“Don’t give up, Kaito!” Kaede encouraged him. “The library looks almost spotless.”

“I’m not the only one who's given up, look at Korekiyo.” Kaito pointed. 

The Anthropologist was resting a bookshelf, his head deep in a book, eyes scanning the pages.

“Bored, Korekiyo?” Rantaro grinned.

"Hmm?" in a world of his own, Korekiyo hadn't been listening. 

"I said you look bored," Rantaro repeated himself. 

"Bored?" Korekiyo replied, still confused. 

"Cuz you're reading that book instead of cleaning." Kaito joined in.

“Oh, I see.” Korekiyo nodded now that he understood. “I came across this book whilst dusting down the shelf. I thought it might be of use to us.” he held up the book for all to see.

_‘Tonics and Teas for your everyday needs’_

“Is that a recipe book?” Shuichi inquired.

“Of sorts,” Korekiyo replied. “It’s filled with herbal remedies and mood enhancing teas and tonics.”

“Sounds like bullshit if you ask me.” Miu scoffed.

"No one asked you." Kokichi quipped.

“Ah no, that is not the case.” Korekiyo shook his head. “Natural ingredients do contain their own healing powers. For example, Miu, if you were to strike someone with your diarrhoea machine, consuming mint will help aid their stomach cramps.”

“Hopefully it won’t come to that…” a fearful Keebo said, his eyes wide.

“This particular recipe has caught my eye,” Korekiyo informed them, holding open the book at the correct page.

Kaede leant in to see what he was showing them. She read word for word from the book. “From Lethargy to Energy: The perfect recipe to increase energy levels and give a well-needed spirit boost.”

“Sounds like we could do with some of that,” Kaito said.

“My thoughts exactly,” Korekiyo said. “It will not cure us completely, but it should help."

“May I see that?” Kirumi asked, taking the book from Korekiyo. Her eyes scanned over the recipe. “I can make this tea no problem if you so wish. All of the ingredients should be found in the warehouse.”

“What’s in the tea exactly?” Shuichi asked.

“It says here the tea contains seven different ingredients.” Kirumi shared. “Ginger, to uplift the spirit. Lemon juice, for vitamin C. Peppermint to-”

Miu cut her short. “Yeah, whatever. You don’t need to break down each one; it’s boring. Nobody asked for a science lesson.”

“I was simply responding to Shuichi’s question,” Kirumi said.

“Fuck sake, Pooichi.” Miu huffed. “The question you asked matches your personality... boring!”

Kirumi brought the conversation back on track, stopping Miu from insulting Shuichi further. “I shall prepare this tea as a substitute for breakfast tomorrow morning, as no one seems to be eating at the moment.”

"That's a really nice idea," Kaede smiled encouragingly.

"You should thank Korekiyo, after all, he found the recipe book," Kirumi said humbly. 

"Atua has given me the best idea!" Angie exclaimed, passionately interrupting their conversation. "We should decorate the dining hall for tomorrow, to make a real occasion out of this! We can have fresh flowers on the table and use the fanciest china for the tea." 

“That sounds a bit...extra,” Rantaro said.

“But the dining hall will look beautiful!" Angie insisted. "We want the academy to feel like paradise." 

"I already told you, this Heaven on Earth stuff is just annoying." Kokichi objected.

"But tomorrow is special," Angie argued her point. "This tea is exactly what we need."

"Don't get your hopes up too much," Kaito said rationally. "This tea might perk us up a bit, but it's not gonna make all our problems go away."

"We don't need tea, we need sleep." Ryoma pointed out. 

"Kirumi, do you think you decorate the dining hall?" Angie asked. She followed through with her idea, despite what the others had to say.

"Of course I will." Kirumi agreed with a smile. "It is my pleasure to honour your request."

"How divine!" Angie beamed, her hands clasped together in delight. "Atua is showing me the way." 

"Do you need any help with the decorating, Kirumi?" Kaede asked thoughtfully.

"It is kind of you to offer, but I shall be fine." Kirumi turned her down. 

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_

The students went silent as the nighttime announcement sounded. They watched the Monokubs on the monitor. 

“It’s time for bedtime, Ursines!” Monotaro said.

“Don’t stay up too late,” Monophanie warned them.

“Or you might be a bloody corpse by the morning!” Monokid smirked.

“Ah, so it seems I will have to get to work in the morning,” Kirumi said. “The dining hall will be locked now, so I cannot make any preparations.”

"The warehouse will still be open." Tenko reminded her.

"It will, but without the dining hall, I cannot do anything," Kirumi explained. "I might as well wait until the morning."

“Can we go to bed?” Himiko pestered.

"We should make the most of the sleep we can get." Rantaro nodded. "I would say goodnight, but I'll see you all in two hours..." 

Shuichi wished Rantaro was joking, but everyone knew what was going to happen. With another awful night of sleep ahead of him, Shuichi wondered if it was even worth going to bed at 10 pm. Then again, using that logic, it wouldn’t be worth going to sleep at all. Shuichi had to make the most of every second he could get, so he decided to head straight to bed. Or in his case, the shower.

The night was long and painful. The shower was uncomfortable, worsening Shuichi’s neck cramps, but at least he was dry. Anything was better than being hit by the sprinklers. During the drills, the students no longer spoke to each other. Everyone shared in an exhausted silence, dead behind the eyes. 

 

***

 

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_

"Rise and Shine, Ursine!" the Monokubs cheered. 

"It's 8 am, so it's time to get up!" Monotaro instructed. "The dining hall and gymnasium are now unlocked."

"I-I-" Monophanie tried to speak, but she was shaking so much that she couldn't recite her line.

"What's wrong with you?" Monokid stared at her, displaying no sympathy.

"I-I'm just so worried," Monophanie said, trembling on the sofa. "W-what if someone was m-murdered during the night? I-imagine how gory it would be!"

"Maybe one of youse finally got sick of the motive," Monosuke smirked. 

"I couldn't think of a better way to wake up! Ahaha!" Monokid roared with laughter. 

It was unsettling to hear, but Shuichi was slowly learning not to worry about what the Monokubs had to say. They seemed to enjoy teasing the students. No one had died yet, so their words were harmless. 

That morning, Shuichi finally plucked up the courage to use Kaede's shower. Since the motive had begun, he'd been washing at his sink, but this wasn't a long-term solution. His hat had been hiding his greasy hair, but he was worried the smell would start to escape.

“I’m warning you, it’s cold,” Kaede informed him.

A cold shower wasn’t going to be pleasant, but it had to be better than the horrific burn inducing shower he had in his own room. Kaede left the bathroom, heading to her desk to wait for Shuichi.

Shuichi undressed, hanging up his clothes. His fingers hovered over the shower knobs, scared to face the icy water. Attempting to be brave, Shuichi jumped into the shower and turned on the water, wanting to get the whole thing over with as soon as possible. As the chilling water hit his skin, Shuichi tried not to scream.

Shuichi was in and out of the shower within fifty seconds, which was probably a personal best. Shuichi stood shivering on the bath mat, his fingers slightly numb. He reached out for his towel, desperate to wrap it around himself, when he came to a horrible realisation...he'd forgotten his towel. He'd brought a fresh uniform with him, but not a towel - how irritating. He couldn't just get dressed, because he was soaking wet, so he'd only ruin the uniform and probably cause himself to catch a cold.

“K-Kaede?” Shuichi shouted through the door, hoping she could hear him. “A-are you there?”

“Is everything okay?” Kaede’s called back.

Shuichi was extremely thankful that she hadn’t wandered off somewhere. “D-do you think you could go into my room and get my towel? It’s on my bed, I forgot it.”

Kaede was back in a matter of seconds, as luckily Shuichi had left his room unlocked. She knocked on the bathroom door, informing Shuichi she would leave his towel over the door handle, whilst she waited in the dormitory lobby, so he was free to walk around...naked.

Shuichi waited for a minute to pass, just to be certain that Kaede wasn’t still in the room. Feeling naked and ashamed, Shuichi hurriedly opened the bathroom door, reaching for his towel. He got dressed quickly, before venturing into the hallway, where he found a handful of students reading a piece of paper taped on the back wall of the dormitory building.

"Good to see you're not naked, Shuichi." Rantaro grinned, playfully winking at his friend.

“What are you guys looking at?” Shuichi asked as he joined them, changing the subject.

“A note Kirumi left,” Keebo replied. He moved aside so Shuichi could read it.

_Good Morning,_

_Despite the challenging conditions of our environment, I hope you all managed to get some sleep. I am preparing fresh tea, which is designed to lift our mood. I am also decorating the canteen in an attempt to lift our spirits. I want everything to be set up before you see, so I will come and get you when it is ready. It should take no more than thirty minutes, so I will find you at 8:30._

_Sincerely,_

_Kirumi Tojo._

“It seems like we’ve got some time on our hands then,” Shuichi said.

"What are we supposed to do if we can't go to the dining hall?" Angie asked.

"I thought Atua would have told you," Tenko said sarcastically.

"Ah no, Atua is sleeping," Angie replied pleasantly.

"Why don't we wait outside the dormitories?" Kaede suggested. "Over by the picnic tables. It'll be easier for Kirumi to find us if we all stay in one place."

“I’m leaving,” Maki said, ready to make her exit.

“Come on Maki.” Kaede attempted to persuade her otherwise. “If we all go wandering off, Kirumi has to go on a wild goose chase and she’s even more tired than us. Think about all of the work she’s been doing.”

Maki was unsympathetic towards Kirumi. “Kirumi has volunteered to cook and clean for us, so if she’s tired then that’s her own fault.”

“Well, I know, but-” Kaede tried to argue back.

“I’m not staying here.” Maki turned on her heels and sauntered off before anyone could stop her.

“She really is stubborn.” Kaede sighed.

“Count me out too,” Ryoma said. “Sorry, I’d rather be alone. But I’ll try and make sure I’m back here 8:30.”

“Degenerates are so selfish.” Tenko folded her arms in annoyance. “You have no respect for Kirumi’s feelings at all.”

“I’m leaving too,” Himiko announced.

“Oh of course Himiko. Where are you going?” Tenko smiled.

“What a hypocrite…” Kaito muttered under his breath.

“I want to practise my magic to increase my SP.” Himiko announced.

“If you go to the rooftop, you might find some vegetables which restore 100SP to all allies!” Tsumugi smiled, making a reference that no one understood.

“I’ll come with you, Himiko.” Tenko insisted. “It isn’t safe to be on the rooftop by yourself, you might fall.”

“I’m not going to the rooftop.” Himiko frowned.

“That was just Tsumugi being weird,” Kokichi said.

“Oh, where are you going?” Tenko asked.

“A classroom…probably,” Himiko said. “I need to practise my magic in private.”

“Well sorry everyone,” Tenko apologised. “But I need to go with Himiko to help her practise her magic.”

“Is she deaf?” Kaito raised his eyebrows at Tenko.

“Selective hearing, probably,” Rantaro replied.

“Were you not listening?” Angie looked to Tenko. “Himiko must practise her magic alone. But do not fear for her safety, as Atua will be watching over her. Atua is watching over us all.”

"Atua couldn't protect Himiko if someone tried to attack her!" Tenko exclaimed. "I need to look after her." 

"I don't need looking after." Himiko insisted.

"But Himiko-" Tenko went on.

Angie cut her short. "Tenko, leave Himiko alone. It is clear that she doesn't want you with her." 

Tenko didn't retort, but she was clearly upset by Angie's comment. Desperate to escape, Ryoma and Himiko left for the main school building. 

“Does anyone else plan on leaving?!” Kaede sighed. Her plan had crumbled. Keeping everyone together was harder than she'd thought. 

“I too must go.” Korekiyo raised his hand. “I apologise, but there is something I must do.” Korekiyo returned to his dorm room before anyone could question him further.

“Sorry, Kaede, but I can’t stay either," Keebo apologised. “I want to make use of the time and charge my system. With all of Miu's updates, it's important.” he also vanished to his room. 

The remaining students went outside to wait by the picnic tables. They had lost five students, but the majority remained. They sat together, making small talk about their hatred of Monokuma and how tired they felt. As the minutes passed by, there was still no sign of Kirumi.

“I’m getting bored,” Kokichi complained. “Is Kirumi redecorating the entire dining hall? Did Atua want her to put up new wallpaper?”

Kokichi made a fair point; Kirumi was taking forever.  

Fueled by boredom, Kokichi walked off towards the academy in search of something to do. This prompted Miu to leave for her lab, as she was sick of waiting around with the others. Meanwhile, Tenko began to panic about Himiko, especially with Kokichi heading into the main building, so she hurried after him. A few minutes later, Gonta also departed. He travelled to the bottom of the pathway, towards the Shrine of Judgement, in a search for bugs.

“And then there were six,” Rantaro remarked, observing how little of them were left.

“I’m going to tell Kirumi she shouldn’t have to waste her time finding everyone.” Kaede insisted. “It’s their fault for wandering off if the tea gets cold.”

“Ah Kaede, do not be so bitter,” Angie said. “Everyone should drink the tea together in harmony, with Atua guiding us.”

“I don’t need some God to show me how to drink tea.” Kaito retorted.

Within five minutes of leaving, Tenko returned. She looked upset, with a mixture of frustration. “I can’t find Himiko. I looked in all of the classrooms, but she wasn’t there like she said she’d be.”

"Did she go to the rooftop?" Tsumugi asked.

"She was never going to the roof, that was your suggestion." Tenko reminded her.

"I'm sure she's okay," Kaede said. "Maybe she found somewhere else to practice." 

"I think I need to go back inside and look for her," Tenko said, clearly consumed with worry.

"I don't think you need to," Shuichi said. "Look who's coming." he had spotted the redheaded witch exiting the school, heading towards the students and the picnic benches. 

"Oh, it's Himiko." Tenko breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Hey, is that someone with her?"

"Oh yeah, it looks like Kokichi," Rantaro said.

"K-Kokichi?!" Tenko exclaimed. "What does he want with her? I don't trust him at all!" 

“Maybe they just bumped into each other on their way back,” Rantaro suggested, trying to keep Tenko calm.

As the two students got closer, Shuichi noticed how pale Himiko looked. It was as if someone had drained all of the colour from her face. She stood there quivering, so violently, that Shuichi could almost feel it himself. Meanwhile, Kokichi stood beside her, expressionless.

“Himiko, what’s wrong?” Tenko pressed. “Himiko, talk to me.” it was obvious that something was up.

Himiko said nothing.

“What did you do to her?” Tenko glared at Kokichi.

“I didn’t do anything.” Kokichi shrugged. “Maybe you should go to the dining hall before you start pointing fingers.”

“A b-body…” Himiko whispered.  

A body?

"I-it's happened..." Himiko said, her head lowered.

"What's happened, Himiko?" Tenko continued to fish for answers. "Please talk to me."

"T-the killing game..." Himiko said slowly. 

As soon as Himiko said the dreadful words, the students began to panic.

"Himiko, are you sure?" Kaede said weakly.

Himiko didn't say anything, but she nodded. 

"We should go to the dining hall," Rantaro instructed.

Shuichi felt like he was in a dream; everything happened so suddenly. One minute Himiko announced the body, then he found himself running to the dining hall, taking the shortcut through the terrace. 

The dining hall looked beautiful, due to its makeover. A gorgeous satin tablecloth had transformed the metal table, its colour perfectly complicated the fresh flowers that had been placed in a glass vase. A green teapot was resting on the table, steam still coming out of the spout. Fifteen delicate, china teacups had been placed beside the pot, but none of this was important. 

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_

Monokuma appeared on the monitor, sipping away at a glass of champagne. “A body has been discovered. How exciting! Please, will everyone make their way to the dining hall so the investigation can begin.”

Sprawled out on the floor, with blood trickling from her mouth, was none other than Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid.


	5. The Investigation (1.4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> I'm so excited to finally post this! Sorry it's taken quite a while, I've had my university dissertation to write. It drained like all of my energy lol. The investigation has been finished for quite a while, but I didn't want to post it until the trial was 100% complete, just to make sure there weren't any inconsistencies or anything. Trials tend to take me longer anyway as they're my biggest chapters. But woo, it's finally time to post. The trial is completed, so that should be posted very soon too.
> 
> Sorry to have kept you waiting and I hope you enjoy! :)

“Kirumi…” Shuichi said softly, staring down at the body by his feet. He shook his head, almost in denial of what he saw. Things had been difficult with Monokuma's cruel motive, but he hadn't expected someone to actually commit murder. How could someone be so heartless? Kirumi didn't deserve to die. 

Rantaro had turned exceptionally pale, his eyes widened in horror. “How could this have happened?…”

“Is...is she really dead?” Kaito asked. Even though the answer was obvious, he was trying to cling to some form of hope.

“I will pray for you, Kirumi,” Angie said thoughtfully. "Atua will look after you now, in Heaven."

One by one, the other students arrived at the dining hall, as per Monokuma’s instructions. It was interesting to see how much their reactions differed. Gonta burst into tears as soon as he saw Kirumi’s body, heartbroken that someone would take an innocent life. Whereas, Maki was exceptionally cold, standing next to Kirumi’s body as if it were an everyday occurrence.

Once everyone had arrived, Monokuma made himself present, swanning into the dining hall, looking especially cheerful. “I knew it wouldn’t take long! It looks like we’ve got a body on our hands.”

Kaede glared at the bear, her voice trembling. “This is all your fault!" 

“Did I murder Kirumi? Uh, no.” Monokuma sassed Kaede. “You should think a little more carefully before you start pointing fingers.”

"But you manipulated us with the motive," Kaede argued.

"So what if I did?" Monokuma shrugged. "Someone killed Kirumi using their own free will. It's not like I hypnotised the blackened." 

To stop an argument from evolving, Rantaro interrupted. “Monokuma, what happens now? An investigation, right?"

"Eager to start the investigation I see," Monokuma remarked with a smirk. "You seem keen to get on with the class trial. Are you feeling some nervous guilt, perhaps?”

“Not at all,” Rantaro replied, calmly. “And it seems like you’re pointing fingers now, which I wouldn’t do if I were you, because it would make you bias, and then the trial couldn’t go ahead.”

Monokuma scowled, having been put in his place. “Fine, I’ll let you get on with the investigation. It’s your job to work out who killed Kirumi. Who is the blackened for this case?”

“Can’t you just tell us?” Himiko asked.

“No, you have to _solve_ the case. I’m not spoon feeding you.” Monokuma huffed. “If you guys wanna find out the truth, you’re gonna have to investigate the old-fashioned way.”

“But how?” Himiko pressed.

“Figure it out for yourselves.” Monokuma shrugged. “I’m getting out of here; I wanna eat some fish before the trial starts. Seeya!”

Monokuma disappeared before anyone had the chance to ask more questions. This left the students alone with Kirumi's body, forcing them to face reality. Their classmate had been murdered and the killer was standing amongst them.

"So...Kirumi really is dead..." Tenko lowered her head. "I wish this a prank from Monokuma."

"Unfortunately, this is a real corpse," Korekiyo said darkly. "A corpse so fresh and beautiful..." 

"We need to figure out who killed her," Kaito concluded. "Where do we even begin?" 

“Oi, Pooichi.” Miu clicked her fingers rudely in Shuichi’s face to capture his attention. “What do you think?”

“T-think about what?” Shuichi asked, taken back by Miu’s brash behaviour.

“Well, you’re a detective, who killed Kirumi?” Miu demanded impatiently.

“Well...I mean...” put on the spot, Shuichi didn’t know what to say. "I can't just predict who killed her."

"But you're the Ultimate Detective," Miu argued. 

“Shuichi is a detective Miu, not a psychic.” Kaede jumped to Shuichi’s defence. "He won't know who killed her just by looking at her." 

“No one asked you, bitch tits.” Miu glared at Kaede, before turning back to Shuichi. “Some detective you are then.” she rolled her eyes.

"You don't need to be so angry." Kaede insisted. 

“Are you kiddin’ me?” Miu scoffed. “We should all be angry! If we can’t figure out who killed Kirumi, Monokuma’s gonna execute us!”

“The punishment...I’d forgotten about that…” Tsumugi sighed.

"I don't wanna die just cuz Pooichi is incompetent at his talent!" Miu exclaimed. 

The stakes were high, increasing the pressure. The students had been confronted by a dead body, probably for the first time in their lives, and now they were expected to solve the mystery behind the murder, or they would die. Shuichi felt all eyes in the room boring into him. He could tell that everyone was relying on him, expecting him to instantly solve the case because of his 'talent'.

"You must have at least one theory, right Shuichi?" Tsumugi asked hopefully, putting all of her faith in him.

"He's the Ultimate Detective, of course he does," Tenko said confidently. "No degenerate could be _that_ useless."

"I..." Shuichi tried to talk, but his mouth was too dry to speak. The pressure was affecting him. 

“Is one of us really the killer?” Keebo asked uncertainly.

“Monokuma isn’t allowed to get involved, so it has to be one of us,” Korekiyo replied.

“That’s if you believe he wouldn’t break the rules…” Ryoma said.

“I believe that he wouldn’t, not yet, anyway,” Korekiyo said. “Monokuma seems especially excited at the thought of us all turning on each other. He would not get the same enjoyment from faking a murder.”

“There’s fifteen of us here; it is more than possible that one of us is the killer.” Maki stated. "You'd be naive to think otherwise." 

“We’ve got a one in fifteen chance of figuring this out…” Tsumugi said weakly.

“Angie, does Atua know the culprit?” Gonta asked.

“I'm afraid not,” Angie shook her head. “Atua has been resting, so he didn't see the murder take place.”

“There is no use relying on fake Gods,” Korekiyo said. “If we wish to uncover the truth, we must do so ourselves.”

“Ha, even Korekiyo thinks Atua is fake!” Kokichi laughed. “It’s funny cuz he’s the weirdest one here!”

“Korekiyo, do you speak against Atua because he is suspicious of you?” Angie asked, her eyes obtaining a dark hue.

Korekiyo folded his arms. “What are you referring to?” 

“You have a suspicious energy about you, that's all…” Angie said innocently, smiling at her classmate. 

“Are you suggesting that I’m the culprit?” Korekiyo said.

“Not at all.” Angie laughed. “Atua is.” 

“That is ridiculous.” Korekiyo stiffened up, his tone stern. 

“This is already so exciting!” Kokichi grinned. “I’m looking forward to the trial.”

“It’s not a good idea to start blaming each other already,” Tsumugi gulped. “We don’t have any evidence yet.”

“You think we’d have some, but we’ve been lumbered with the world’s most useless detective.” Miu huffed.

“Lay off, Shuichi!” Kaito exclaimed. “He’s not had any time to look over the body yet.”

“Degenerate males are so heartless.” Tenko glared at Kaito.

“W-what did I do wrong?!” Kaito retorted. “I was sticking up for Shuichi.”

“You referred to Kirumi as ‘the body’.” Tenko elaborated. “That’s just cold.”

“Well, obviously I didn’t mean it that way!” Kaito protested. 

“This is useless.” Maki sighed. 

“What’s your problem?” Kokichi raised his eyebrow.

“How are we supposed to investigate when everyone is just arguing?” Maki pointed out.

“You’re not helping either,” Kokichi objected. “Everyone’s just waiting around for Shuichi to do something. It’s like he’s a monkey in a zoo!”

"But he's our only hope!" Miu protested. "How can anybody else solve a murder?" 

“You...you shouldn’t be relying on me.” Shuichi finally spoke up; he couldn't hold it in any longer. “I’m...I’m barely a detective.”

"Then why would you be here?" Tenko objected. "It's your ultimate talent!"

"You've just gotta have more faith in yourself!" Kaito exclaimed. He was trying to be helpful, but his words only made Shuichi feel worse.

The Ultimates were relying on Shuichi far too much and it was a pressure that he couldn't handle. If he made a mistake...if he guessed the wrong person...everyone would die. Ever since the 'incident', he had vowed never to expose the truth again. He was barely a detective, he couldn't do this...he just couldn't. He wasn't going to be responsible for killing his classmates. 

“Shuichi?” Tsumugi called. “Shuichi?” she waved her hand in front of his face. "I don't think he's listening." 

"He's wastin' our time," Miu scoffed. "Maybe he's the blackened so he's avoidin' the investigation." 

"That is a possibility I had not considered," Korekiyo said. 

Shuichi found himself struggling to catch his breath, his heart pounding in his chest. He was now being accused of murder because he couldn't bring himself to investigate the case. It was a sickening thought; he'd never harm Kirumi. Why did the blame always fall on him? 

"It is pretty suspicious that the Ultimate Detective refuses to detect anything." Angie agreed, analysing Shuichi. 

"I bet he's the murderer  _and_ the mole!" Kokichi exclaimed, spreading rumours. 

Shuichi couldn't listen to them any longer; he had to get away. Staring at Kirumi's lifeless body made him feel sick with guilt that he couldn't help her. If he didn't leave the dining hall immediately, he feared throwing up. "I...I...need to go to the bathroom," with sweat breaking out across his forehead, Shuichi excused himself. 

"What the fuck are you doin'?!" Miu eyed him up.

"I don't think you should leave the crime scene." a concerned Keebo said. 

Shuichi didn't listen to them. He felt awful and needed to be alone. Before anyone could stop him, he backed out of the room, breaking into a sprint, desperate to escape the crime scene. It was unlike him to run, but he feared one of the others grabbing him if he didn't get away fast; he could already hear them calling his name. Shuichi felt himself growing weaker by the second; everything had become too much.

Shuichi practically flung himself into the boys' bathroom, darting into the cubicle closest to the door. He dropped to his knees in front of the toilet, convinced he was going to be sick. He sat there for a couple of minutes, clinging to the bowl with shaking hands. He couldn't escape the dreadful feeling of guilt. Kirumi was dead and he wasn't competent enough to solve her case.

Despite feeling so dreadful, after a few minutes, Shuichi came to the conclusion that he wasn't actually going to be sick. Still struggling to breathe properly, he forced himself to stand up and moved over to the sinks. He grabbed ahold of the basin to steady himself since he felt so fragile. He turned on the taps and gently splashed some water on his face to calm down. As he caught his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he winced, ashamed of the person staring back at him; the pale, pathetic excuse of a detective with sorrow in his eyes. His hat was a guilty reminder of the shame that haunted him. Someone like him couldn't solve the class trial.

Shuichi stood there, doubting everything about himself, when the bathroom door creaked open. He quickly turned his head to see who was there.

“Shuichi?” Kaede said softly, poking her head around the door. “Can I come in?”

Shuichi said nothing, but he nodded. If he was in better spirits, he would’ve made a joke about Kaede re-entering the boys’ bathroom, but now was not the time.

Kaede stepped into the room, holding open the door for Ranatro, who followed in behind her. There was no one else besides the two of them. 

"Hey, Shuichi..." Rantaro said gently. "I won't bother asking if you're okay, cuz it's a stupid question. But, what's going on?"

"I...I..." his throat was still painfully dry, but Shuichi found it easier to talk in the presence of his friends. "I can't do this. Everyone is depending on me. They think I have all of the answers." he shook his head. 

"It's the curse of your talent," Rantaro sympathised. "To be honest, I think everyone is scared. I suppose it's only natural they turn to you, even though it isn't fair."

“I’m not a detective,” Shuichi replied, turning away. “I...I just got lucky. I don’t deserve to be here. I don't even want to be one."

“You must deserve it, or you wouldn’t be here.” Kaede pointed out. “You were chosen as an Ultimate for a reason. I doubt they made a mix-up."

“You don’t understand.” Shuichi sighed. “How all of this happened...was by accident. My Uncle is the Detective in the family, he even runs his own business. Sometimes I’d help out as an apprentice since the workload could get heavy and he needed an extra pair of hands.”

“Were you helping out with the cases?” Kaede asked.

“I was,” Shuichi nodded. “But only the small ones. You know, someone dodging their taxes, or a wife that suspects her husband is having an affair. More often than not, I would help around in the office, shredding documents and sending emails whilst my Uncle was out on his cases." 

"I see." Kaede nodded. 

“One day, I just so happened to be sorting through some old files, when I came across a murder case,” Shuichi shared. “The Police had come to a standstill with it, but I was able to connect the pieces and solved the case for them. The Police dubbed me the ‘Boy Detective’, as I cracked something they’d been working on for years. That’s when I was scouted and presented with the Ultimate title." 

“Sure, you might’ve only solved one case, but it was a big one,” Rantaro reassured him. “You solved a case that even the Police couldn’t. Sounds like a talent to me.”

“Not just anybody could do that, Shuichi.” Kaede encouraged him.

“I...I wish I hadn’t solved that case.” Shuichi admitted, his voice trembling. Even thinking about it again flooded him with guilt. "If I could go back in time and change just one thing, it would be that.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little extreme?” Rantaro raised an eyebrow. "You solved a murder case, that's a good thing." 

“The murderer...of the case that I solved...he was seeking justice for a loved one. The victim was a terrible person, manipulative and abusive enough that he drove the culprit’s relative into committing suicide.” Shuichi told them. “Everyone agreed that the victim had it coming to him. Many people rejoiced at his death. Everyone wanted the culprit to get justice, but I took that from him. He’s locked up behind bars for the rest of his life, all because of me. I suppose now, I face the same fate as him, for whatever reason…”

“Shuichi, you can’t blame yourself.” Kaede insisted. “You weren’t to know what his motives were for committing murder. Detectives aren’t supposed to be biased, they are supposed to uncover the truth.”

“Detectives bring justice to society,” Rantaro added. "It's not about morals, it's about the law." 

“The Culprit received no justice, I stripped that from him,” Shuichi lowered his head. "I still remember the disgusted way that he looked at me when he got arrested. The hatred in his eyes was so raw, so real. Without me, he'd have gotten away with it."

"You were only doing your job, Shuichi," Kaede comforted him. 

"My job...to expose the truth," Shuichi said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "It's something that I can never forget about. My decision follows me everywhere," he shared. "Ever since it happened, I can't bring myself to expose the truth again. My stupid mistake cost someone their freedom, when they deserve it. I don't want hurt anyone ever again."

"So, that's why you don't want to investigate Kirumi's case?" Rantaro said, finally understanding. 

"Exactly," Shuichi nodded. "I solved one case and got the title of the Ultimate Detective. It's not right, I don't deserve it. Kaede, you've been playing the piano for years, you're talented at your craft. I'm not. If I get this wrong, everybody dies and I can't take that risk."

“I...didn’t realise,” Kaede said softly. 

“I don’t consider myself to be a detective and I don’t want that title anymore.” Shuichi shared. “I don’t want anyone relying on me. I-I can't expose the truth. That case haunts me. The way the man at looked at me...it's why I can't bear to look people in the eyes." breaking down his barriers, Shuichi shared more of his past. 

"So...that's why you always wear your hat?" Kaede concluded.

"Yes," Shuichi replied. "It's why I got upset when we first met Miu and she ridiculed it." 

Rantaro reached out and put an affirming arm around Shuichi. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, okay? Living and learning by your mistakes is a part of life. Don’t give up on being a detective. You discovered the secret door. Nobody else did that. I'd say that's because you're talented." 

“You guys found it too.” objected Shuichi.

“Only because the Kubs don’t know when to shut up.” Rantaro said, letting go of Shuichi. 

"But so did Miu." Shuichi went on. "She wasn't told by the Monokubs."

"But she was tidying up the bookshelf and came across it by accident," Kaede insisted. "You discovered the secret door because you noticed the clues."

Shuichi still couldn't accept their praise. "That is true, but a real detective wouldn't be afraid of exposing the truth again, like I am." 

Kaede placed a comforting hand on Shuichi's shoulder. "When I was twelve, I'd been entered into a really important piano competition. It was an incredibly big deal, so I'd been practising for months, day and night. The day before the competition, I went out with my mum and sister to run some errands. As we got out of the car, my twin sister accidentally shut my hand in the door. It hurt so much and I broke two fingers!"

"That sounds painful!" Shuichi winced. 

"The doctors taped my index finger and middle finger together to help them heal," Kaede continued. "But it meant that I couldn't play the piano. I was completely devastated. The judges advised me to pull out of the competition and try again next year, but I couldn't miss out when I'd been practising so hard. So, I went ahead and performed my piece."

"That's brave of you," Shuichi admired.

"As you can imagine, it didn't go very well," Kaede grinned, laughing at her own expense. "With my fingers taped together, I missed half of the keys! Not to mention, I was in a lot of pain. I didn't win, but that's not what matters. I was just so happy to be up on that stage performing. It was definitely better than sitting at home moping. I suppose what I'm trying to say, is that sometimes you just have to give things a try, even when your chance of succeeding isn't great. In the class trial, we might guess the wrong person, meaning Monokuma will execute us. But, if we don't try at all, then we're still facing execution. Just give it your best shot, okay? Because it's better to try and to fail than to totally give up."

Shuichi felt his heart rate slow down, feeling much calmer having listened to Kaede's story. She was right, they were facing execution either way. If he didn't investigate at all, their chances weren't any better. He might as well try his best than just give up. "Y-you're right...I need to at least try." 

"Besides, you're not going to be alone," Kaede smiled. "Rantaro and I will help you every step of the way, even if no one else does!" 

"I trust you, Shuichi," Rantaro said. "You're a smart guy."

"I'm going to try," Shuichi nodded, doing his best to sound confident. "I need to overcome my past, to expose the truth. T-thank you, both of you, for coming to see me. I don't think I'd be able to face the crime scene again if it wasn't for you." 

"Well, if you're ready to leave, we should get going," Rantaro advised. "I'm not sure how long we have until the class trial." 

Feeling much stronger, Shuichi moved away from the sink and followed his friends out of the bathroom. He felt apprehensive about returning to the dining hall, as he wasn't sure how his classmates were going to react, but he refused to let himself stress about it. Back at the crime scene, he was met with mixed reactions.

"Shuichi!" Gonta exclaimed, looking relieved. "You okay?" 

"I-I'm fine now, thank you," Shuichi nodded, grateful for Gonta's concern. 

"Back from your meltdown?" Kokichi said casually. 

Shuichi chose to ignore him.

"Well, that was fuckin' suspicious." Miu glared at him. "I bet you killed Kirumi and the guilt got to you!" 

"I apologise for leaving, but it's not because I'm the blackened." Shuichi insisted. He did not feel comfortable sharing his past with the rest of his classmates, so it was difficult to explain why he suddenly ran off. 

"Let's not get into any arguments, we've already lost a lot of time," Kaito pointed out. "But, Shuichi, are you sure you're okay?"

"I am, thank you." Shuichi nodded. "I'm going to try my best to solve this case, to figure out who did this to Kirumi. But I won't be able to do this alone; I'm going to need everyone's participation." 

"Whatever you need us to do, just say." Maki nodded. 

"I have no detective experience, but I shall try my best." Korekiyo offered.

"It's good that everyone wants our help, but our chances of getting this right are still so low," Tsumugi said defeatedly. "It's a one in fifteen chance. It's plain to see that the odds are against us." 

Kaede spoke up. "We can't give up already! I know what's ahead is uncertain, but we have time to figure this out. We still have a chance."

"A one in fifteen chance." Tsumugi persisted. 

"Not necessarily," Shuichi said, thinking logically. “Once we begin investigating, we might find some evidence or alibis that rules people out as suspects.”

Himiko let out a deep sigh. “Nyeh, that sounds like a pain. I'm too tired." 

“We’re all tired,” Shuichi said. “But if we want to survive Monokuma’s class trial, then we need to start investigating. I just ask that you help me.”

“This might be difficult, but it will be worth it. We can help get Kirumi her justice.” Kaede said. 

“Yeah, that’s right.” Kaito agreed with her. “This investigation isn’t just about saving ourselves, it’s finding out what happened to Kirumi too.”

“So, where do we begin?” Keebo asked.

Nobody got the chance to answer, because their headmaster strutted into the dining hall. 

“Ugh, you again!” Tenko rolled her eyes. “You’re just like a bad smell.”

“No, he really is a bad smell…” Tsumugi covered her nose, beginning to gag. “He stinks of fish.”

Rantaro wretched also. “He really does! It must be that fish he went to eat..." 

“You bastards can be really rude, you know that!” Monokuma complained. “You guys haven’t been showering properly, but I've never picked on you! And to think, I came all this way to give you a present!”

“What kind of present?” Angie asked eagerly. “Is it a blood sacrifice to send Kirumi’s body off peacefully into the afterlife?”

“I don’t think Monokuma has any blood in him,” Shuichi said. “He is a robot, after all.”

“Keeboy doesn't have any blood in him either!” Kokichi exclaimed. “That means he has no heart; he's just a careless heap of metal.”

“I may not physically possess a heart, but I am still capable of human emotion.” Keebo protested, hurt by Kokichi’s comment.

“Will you two idiots shuddup!” Miu snapped. “I wanna hear about the present. Not that I’m interested…”

Shuichi was also curious to hear about Monokuma’s present, although he wasn’t sure if he could trust it.

Monokuma presented the group with a Monopad. “This is the Monokuma File! It’s a detailed report that summarises all of the information about the dead body. But there’s no info that would point to the blackened, cuz that would ruin the trial.”

Monokuma handed the file to the closest person to him, which happened to be Shuichi. Shuichi kept a hold of the file but didn’t look at it.

“Can we really trust such a thing?” Korekiyo asked, sceptical of Monokuma.

“Of course you can!” Monokuma replied. “It’s my 100% Monokuma satisfaction guarantee. If any of the information in the file turns out to be fictional, you get your money back.”

“What money?” Tenko frowned. “We haven’t given you any.”

“It seems like he's talking rubbish again,” Ryoma remarked. 

“Well the file is there for you to read, so you can take it or leave it.” Monokuma shrugged. “But don’t complain to me if you get stuck. I mean, what reason would I have to lie? The killing game wouldn’t be much fun if I fabricated everything.”

“That is true…” Rantaro muttered to himself.

“Well, I'm off. I’m going to finish my fish before the Kubs get their dirty paws on it!” Monokuma exclaimed. 

“Don’t let them eat it too.” Tsumugi protested. “I can’t handle six smelly bears.” she was still sheltering her nose from Monokuma’s vile odour.

“Hmph, just for that comment, I’m going to eat twice as much fish and stink out the courtroom!” Monokuma threatened, storming out of the dining hall.

“Oh no, what have I done?!” Tsumugi gasped in horror.

“Shuichi, have you read the file yet?” Rantaro asked, eyeing up the Monopad.

“No, I haven’t.” Shuichi shook his head. “But now seems like a good a chance as any."

There was no more time to waste; the investigation had officially begun. 

As the first port of call, Shuichi turned to the Monokuma File. The other students gathered around him to read over his shoulder. The file came to life as soon as Shuichi tapped the screen. In gigantic letters, designed to look like it had been written in blood, it said _‘DEAD. RIP.’_

“That’s so distasteful,” Kaede complained.

Underneath the writing, there was some basic information about Kirumi, which included her height, weight, chest size and blood type.

“I don’t think any of that is important right now,” Shuichi remarked, scrolling further down the page.

The students were presented with a zoomed in photo of Kirumi's body, which was awful to see. 

“Did he really need to add a photo?!” Kaito shuddered.

“Kirumi looks...truly breathtaking,” Korekiyo whispered. His breath touched Shuichi's neck since he was so close, it was rather disturbing. 

“Don’t be so creepy, degenerate!” Tenko barked.

As Shuichi kept scrolling, he finally came across some useful information. He found a small paragraph which went into detail about the murder itself. Shuichi read it out loud, for those who couldn't see.

“The victim is Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid. The victim’s body was discovered in the dining hall. The time of death is 8:25 a.m. The cause of death is unknown, but no physical injuries have been detected, with an exception of some mild bruising.”  

Everyone took a moment to process what Shuichi had just read. Although the paragraph wasn’t long, there was still a lot to think about.

“What time is it now?” Kokichi asked. 

Keebo responded, eager to be of assistance. “According to my clock function, it's currently 8:55 a.m.”

“If we’re trusting the Monokuma file, then that means Kirumi died exactly thirty minutes ago,” Maki calculated.

“That isn’t long at all,” Ryoma noted.

“Does file say how Kirumi died?” Gonta asked.

“Didn't you fuckin' listen?” Miu gave an exasperated sigh. “Or is the gorgeous girl genius the only one who heard that the cause of death is unknown?”

Shuichi shared his opinion. “It seems that Monokuma left out that part on purpose."

"On purpose?" Angie repeated. "I presumed that Monokuma just doesn't know." 

“That's unlikely.” Shuichi shook his head. “Monokuma knows the exact time of death, so he has to know the method too. Besides, he has cameras everywhere, so he probably saw the culprit commit the crime."

“Good thinking, Shuichi.” Kaito praised. “I suppose Monokuma doesn’t want this trial being too easy for us.”

“If we’re going to work out who killed Kirumi, then we’ll need to figure out how she died too,” Shuichi said, briefing the others with what they needed to find out. “I’m not sure how long we have until the class trial, so I suggest we all split up and investigate anything that has caught our eye or seems to be of interest. Clues may extend further than just the crime scene." 

“I will pray to Atua.” Angie began to hum. “He will enlighten us on how Kirumi died.”

“Right...I’ll leave you to work on that...” Shuichi didn’t want to be rude, but Angie’s prayers weren't going to help. “If anyone finds anything important, please make a note of it.”

"This'll be a piece of cake," Kokichi smirked. "I'll find the culprit in no time; I can easily weed out liars."

"Then let's get going," Kaede said encouragingly. "Time isn't on our side, so we have to do the best we can."

The students disbanded, in search of clues to aid the investigation. A handful went their own separate way, but the majority remained at the crime scene - the most obvious location to investigate. Those who stayed behind were Shuichi, Rantaro, Kaede, Tenko, Tsumugi, Keebo and Kaito. Maki was also there, but she had sauntered off into the adjoining kitchen.

Shuichi and his two closest confidants, Rantaro and Kaede, gathered in the corner of the room so they could put together a plan of action.

"So, what happens now, Shuichi?" Rantaro asked. "Not to put pressure on you or anything, I was just wondering what you'd usually do in an investigation."

Just because Rantaro said ‘no pressure’ it didn’t mean there wasn’t any. Their lives were resting in his hands and Shuichi wasn’t sure he wanted that responsibility. “I've never investigated something of this scale before. But, to begin...I...I think we better examine Kirumi’s body.” Shuichi stated. “Finding out how she died is very important."

"That's true." Kaede nodded in agreement. "Her method of death could expose a lot of clues."

"Exactly," Shuichi said. "Although I must admit, by looking at Kirumi's body, I already have a theory of how she died..."

“Which is?” Kaede asked eagerly.

“Ah, I probably shouldn’t say yet, not until I have some evidence to back up my theory,” Shuichi said, apologetic that he had to keep things from them. “I don’t want to put any ideas in your head in case I turn out to be wrong. It could make you bias."

“That’s fair enough, I understand,” Rantaro said.

"So, Shuichi, is there any way that we can assist you in examining Kirumi's body?" Kaede asked. "I'd feel bad just standing here."

"Could you come and watch please?" Shuichi replied. "If you don't mind, of course." he quickly added, "It isn’t the nicest job in the world, but I’d like to have some witnesses so that no one can accuse me of tampering with evidence." 

“Of course!” Kaede nodded.

"I'll help too." Rantaro agreed.

Shuichi was grateful that they weren’t leaving him to investigate the body by himself. “Thank you.”

Truth be told, Shuichi had never been around a fresh corpse before. He’d visited a morgue with his Uncle, and even seen gruesome photos, but his work as a detective had never required him to be around someone that had _just_ died. He tried his best to stay calm, reminding himself that he wanted justice for Kirumi. 

"Let's see what's going on here..." Shuichi approached Kirumi's body, kneeling beside her on the floor. He had to be wary of where he positioned himself, due to the smashed teacup; there were pieces of broken china scattered everywhere. He warned Kaede and Rantaro to watch out as well. 

“The teacup must’ve dropped to the floor quite violently,” Kaede observed. “It’s shattered into so many tiny pieces.” 

Turning his back to Kaede, Shuichi focused on Kirumi's body. The maid was sprawled out on the floor; arms and legs all over the place. Her face was covered in blood, which was yet to dry. The blood was streaming from eyes, like something out of a nightmare. It was incredibly disturbing to look at, but Shuichi took a deep breath and forced himself to continue. Her eyes weren't the only source of the blood, as it was pouring out of her mouth too, staining her pale cheeks. 

"That's a lot of blood..." Rantaro remarked. 

"I...I didn't even know it was possible to bleed from your eyes," Kaede winced, struggling to look at Kirumi. 

"It's not very common," Shuichi said.

"I hope she didn't suffer..." Kaede said sorrowfully.

Kirumi would have been in agony as she died, so Shuichi said nothing, protecting Kaede from the truth. It was a gut-wrenching feeling know that Kirumi spent her final moments in horrific pain, bleeding from her eyes and coughing up blood. 

Continuing on with the investigation, Shuichi delved into the pockets of Kirumi's apron, in search of any strange items that might be a clue. It felt intrusive, but Shuichi had no choice; he had to gather as much evidence as he could. Unfortunately, Kirumi’s pockets offered nothing besides her Monopad and room key, which weren't out of the ordinary at all. He pocketed the key, as he wanted to investigate her dorm room if he had time. 

"Is it worth checking Kirumi's Monopad?" Kaede put forward.

"I don't think there will be any clues on there, but you're welcome to take a look," Shuichi said, passing Kaede the device. 

Whilst the Pianist studied Kirumi's Monopad, Shuichi returned to the body.

"Now for the difficult part..." Shuichi muttered, taking a deep breath.

"What's up?" Rantaro asked.

"I need to look over Kirumi's body for any injuries," Shuichi explained. "I know the Monokuma file says that aren't any, but I want to be certain. It just feels a bit inappropriate looking underneath Kirumi's clothes."

"Yeah, don't let Tenko catch you..." Rantaro remarked.

"It doesn't seem like there's anything on Kirumi's Monopad, so I can have a look, if you feel uncomfortable?" Kaede offered. 

"That would be incredibly helpful, thank you." Shuichi sighed in relief. He didn't like the idea of looking up Kirumi's skirt.

Kaede joined Shuichi on the floor to help him look for any injuries. She rolled up Kirumi's sleeves, where she instantly noticed some bruising on the backs of her arms. "Oh! Look at this!" 

"That must be the mild bruising the file mentioned," Rantaro observed. "I wonder if they're new or Kirumi already had them..."

"They look fresh," Shuichi said. "I would say those are from today." 

"Maybe it's where her attacker grabbed her?" Kaede theorised.

"Very possible." Shuichi nodded. "Grabbing someone with enough force would easily leave bruises."

Kaede looked over the rest of Kirumi's body, doing her best to keep the Maid's dignity intact. Despite completing a thorough search, she couldn't find anything else. "I don't think she has any other injuries."

"It seems that the Monokuma File is accurate then," Shuichi stated. "There are no physical injuries on Kirumi's body."

With the search complete, the pair of them got up from the floor. Shuichi couldn't bare to look at Kirumi's body any longer than he had to. 

"It's strange though. What about the blood on Kirumi's face?" Kaede inquired. "Surely that's because of an injury."

"Actually, it's the result of internal bleeding," Shuichi informed her. "The blood has come from inside her mouth and eyes. Kirumi must've been coughing up a lot of blood." 

"Poor Kirumi..." Rantaro sympathised. 

Shuichi had a theory as to why Kirumi had brought up so much blood, but he wasn't going to talk about that yet. Before he discussed his thoughts, he needed to find some more evidence. Confident that he had completed his search of Kirumi's body, Shuichi turned his attention to the smashed teacup beside her. He didn't pick up any of the pieces, in fear of cutting himself on the sharp edges. Amongst the pieces was a small puddle, consisting of a yellowy-brown liquid.

"I'm no genius, but I'm guessing that's some of the tea Kirumi made." Rantaro pointed.

"It must be." Shuichi agreed. "It's a strange colour, but I suppose it's because of all the different ingredients."

"Kirumi did say there were several," Kaede recalled. "It's not like your usual pot of tea."

"I wonder why it's smashed everywhere," Rantaro pondered. "My guess is that the attacker struck whilst Kirumi was drinking it." 

"That would explain the smashed cup," Kaede agreed. "But Kirumi did say that she doesn't eat or drink until everyone else has been served..." 

"Why don't we take a look around the dining hall to see what other clues we can find?" Shuichi suggested.

With the help of Rantaro and Kaede, Shuichi took some time to properly investigate the dining hall. It had been beautifully decorated, but now was not the time for admiration. They approached the table, focusing on the teapot. 

Kaede reached out and touched it. "It's still warm..." she removed the lid and peered inside. "It looks like most of the tea is still in here." 

"The blackened must've attacked Kirumi before she got the chance to serve it," Shuichi concluded, as he stared at the fifteen empty cups on the table.

"But if Kirumi hadn't served the tea, then why is some of it on on the floor?" Kaede pointed out. 

"Ah that's true," Rantaro paused to think. "It's pretty obvious that Kirumi was able to pour one serving. Maybe Kirumi was testing the tea to make sure it tasted okay before she served it?"

"That's definitely a possibility." Shuichi nodded. It was sad that Kirumi never even got the opportunity to serve the tea she'd worked so hard on.

They browsed the rest of the dining hall, but there was nothing out of the ordinary, so Shuichi moved his attention elsewhere.  

In the doorway to the dining hall stood Tsumugi, who was looking at her Monopad. Shuichi couldn't help but wonder why she was just standing about when time wasn't on their side. He approached the Cosplayer, who appeared to be in the middle of a very deep thought.

“Tsumugi, is everything okay?” he asked kindly, noticing a look of concern on her face.

“Oh...I was just thinking about things,” Tsumugi admitted. “Don’t worry about plain old me and my plain old thoughts.”

"Plain or not, we'd like to hear them," Rantaro joined in.

“If you have anything on your mind, you should tell us.” Shuichi coaxed.

“Well, if you really want to hear from plain old me…” Tsumugi said. "I had a theory that maybe the blackened hid in the dining hall overnight to attack Kirumi, because we all know that she makes breakfast every morning. She's in the dining hall before anyone else, so it would be the perfect opportunity." 

"I see..." Shuichi noted. 

"I thought that maybe after the final fire alarm, the blackened came here to wait for Kirumi," Tsumugi went on. "They killed her, then hurried back to the dorms before anyone else was out of bed. But I've just reread the rules on my Monopad, and it says the dining hall is locked during nighttime. So I guess my theory can't be true..."

"Hang on a second," Kaede frowned. "The other night, I was in here after 10 p.m. and so were Rantaro and Shuichi."

"Oh, that's true!" Shuichi exclaimed. He thought back to his first night in the academy, when he'd waited for Rantaro to make a sandwich. It had been nighttime, but they hadn't been locked in.

"Yeah, that's strange," Rantaro agreed. "I hadn't even thought about it." 

"Rise and Shine Ursine!" 

Ready to answer their questions, four of the Monokubs sprung into the dining hall, their sudden appearance causing everyone to jump.

"Ahh!" Shuichi squawked. "P-please stop doing that!"

"Youse should be grateful we're gonna help ya!" Monosuke said.

"You're here to help?" a surprised Shuichi replied.

"We're here to clear up the confusion about the dining hall rules." Monotaro shared. 

"It's only cuz we're in a good mood," Monokid informed them. "Discovering a body really gets me goin'. It makes me all hard."

"Where's Monophanie?" Kaede asked, staring at Monokid in disgust.

"We didn't let her come," Monotaro answered. "She would've been sick at the sight of the body."

"She threw up even when Pops made the announcement!" Monosuke exclaimed.

Shuichi was rather relieved that Monophanie had been left behind. He didn't feel brilliant himself, so watching her throw up again was the last thing he needed to see.

"So what's the deal with the dining hall rule then?" Rantaro asked, getting the topic back on the track.

"Yeah, about that..." Monosuke began. "There's sorta a loophole." 

"A loophole? What kind of loophole?" Kaede asked eagerly.

"Papa Kuma fucked up when he made the rules." Monokid laughed. 

"The dining hall is supposed to be locked at night," Monotaro explained. "But we can only lock it once it's empty."

"WHEN-SOMEONE-IS-INSIDE, WE-ARE-NOT-ALLOWED." Monodam shared, making a rare contribution to the discussion.

"So that's why you couldn't lock up?" Rantaro followed along. "Because the three of us were still in there?"

"CORRECT," Monodam replied.

"Why didn't you just tell us to leave?" Kaede asked. 

"Cuz we're not allowed." Monosuke answered.

"It doesn't say that anywhere in the rules..." Tsumugi objected. "All it says is that the dining hall is off limits during nighttime." 

"WE-FOLLOW-GREATER-RULES." Monodam went on.

"Shuttup ya fuckin' idiot!" Monokid thumped his brother with extreme force.

Shuichi watched Monokid's reaction with keen interest. "I take it this is something we're not supposed to know about?"

"Mind ya fuckin' business," Monokid said rudely.

"There's not much to know," Monotaro said. "Daddy provided us with a big rulebook, to ensure we keep the killing game on track." 

"And this is where the dining hall loophole is?" Shuichi clarified.

"Yup!" Monotaro nodded.

"Then this changes everything!" Tsumugi gasped. "Maybe the killer did wait overnight for Kirumi."

"Wait, there's something else I need to clarify about this loophole," Shuichi said, still focused on the Monokubs. "From my understanding, you're not allowed to lock the dining hall until it's empty. Is that correct?"

"We've already gone over this," Monosuke scoffed.

"I'll take that as a yes," Shuichi muttered. "So once everyone has left, will you lock is straight away?"

"Of course we do," Monotaro replied. "Otherwise, more of you worms could come back and then we have to leave it unlocked even longer!"

"Then sorry, Tsumugi, but that disproves your theory," Shuichi commented. "The Kubs lock the dining hall as soon as it's empty. Someone could have hidden in here for a bit, but they would have to have left for the first fire alarm at midnight."

"Ah, that's true," Rantaro agreed. "Everyone was there for the fire drills."

"Exactly," Shuichi went on. "So even if someone was hiding, the dining hall would have been locked at midnight when we all showed up for the drill."

"It's not really surprising that my plain theory is wrong," Tsumugi said. 

"Your theory might be wrong, but it's still very helpful," Shuichi said kindly. "It proves that the killer definitely struck this morning, after 8 a.m, supporting what the Monokuma File says." 

"It's us you should be thanking!" Monosuke butted in. "But youse ain't getting any more help from us anyway." 

Not wanting to be _too_ helpful, the Monokubs disappeared again, hurrying out of the dining hall. 

Shuichi took a moment to reflect on what he'd just been told. "We now know for certain that the murder took place this morning, so we need to start analysing alibis. There are a lot of people unaccounted for around the time of death."

"This morning, I asked everyone to wait by the picnic benches, but that never happened," Kaede recalled. "Someone who went off must've used the opportunity to kill Kirumi." 

"We need to think where everyone was this morning," Rantaro stated.

"Oh, I can help ya with that one!” Kaito piped up. Nearby, he'd been earwigging their conversation. “I remember pretty well what happened this morning.”

“If you could tell us, that would be very helpful,” Kaede smiled.

Shuichi could remember as well, but it would be good to hear from another witness.

"So, to recap, this morning we woke up to find a note from Kirumi. She wanted us to stay away from the dining hall whilst she prepared breakfast. She said she was gonna get us at 8:30," Kaito reminded them. "Kaede, you suggested that we all wait by the picnic benches so Kirumi could find us easily, but this never happened."

Rantaro scratched his head. "It's gonna be confusing remembering where everyone went."

"To make it easier, we can divide everyone into three groups,” Kaito began. “Those who stayed at the benches, those who stayed at the benches for a bit, and those who didn’t stay at all. I'll start off with the group who stayed, because that's us! It was me, you Shuichi, Rantaro, Kaede, Tsumugi, and Angie." 

"The six of us stayed at the picnic benches the entire time." Kaede agreed. 

“That means six of us have solid alibis,” Shuichi stated. “That’s a good start.”

“What about the others?” Rantaro asked.

"Next, we'll look at the people who didn't stay at all," Kaito went on. "We asked them to sit with us, but they left straight away. Those people are Himiko, Korekiyo, Maki, Keebo, and Ryoma."   
  
“I wonder what all of them got up to…” Kaede said.

“I will definitely need to speak to them.” Shuichi made a mental note of their names. “It’s important that I get their alibis, as I have a feeling that most of them went off alone.”

“So, we’ve got one group left to discuss,” Kaede prompted. “Those who stayed for a bit...”

"This is where it gets a bit confusing," Kaito admitted. "These people hung around for a while, but eventually left." 

“Their alibis are just as important as those who didn’t stay at all,” Shuichi said.

“The four people you’re gonna need to talk to are Tenko, Miu, Kokichi, and Gonta.” Kaito listed their names.

Having overheard her name, Tenko butted in. "Did someone call me?"

"We're discussing alibis," Shuichi explained. "Tenko, this morning you left us to go and look for Himiko. Is that correct?"

“That’s right.” Tenko nodded. “I went to see Himiko, to make sure that she wasn't being bothered by any degenerate males. Although, I wasn't able to find her. She wasn't in a classroom like she said she'd be, so that's when I came back to you guys." 

“True, you weren't gone for long.” Rantaro reminisced. “The next time that you saw Himiko was when she appeared with Kokichi." 

That moment felt like hours ago, but barely any time had passed since they were sitting outside, looking forward to their fresh tea.  

"Well, that sums up where everybody was this morning," Kaito concluded. "Hope it helps."

"That was very helpful, thank you, Kaito," Shuichi said sincerely. "We need to collect everyone's alibis before the trial starts. I want to see if anyone's story changes when they're under the pressure of Monokuma's trial." 

“Maki is in the kitchen, right?” Rantaro said. “We could go and ask her right now what she was doing.”

“Good idea.” Shuichi nodded, wanting to maximise his time. “It’s probably best I go by myself though; I don’t want Maki thinking this is some kind of mass interrogation and she’s being ganged up against.” he already knew that he wouldn't receive a warm welcome.

Shuichi left the others behind and entered the kitchen, which was barely five feet away. Maki was busy rummaging through cupboards and turning over everything in sight.

“I can handle myself, you know,” Maki said, her back to Shuichi. “You don’t have to worry about making me feel comfortable; I’m not a child.”

“Oh, you heard what we were saying?” Shuichi winced, turning red.

“Yes, obviously,” Maki said bluntly. “There’s no door between the kitchen and the dining hall, just an archway. You’ve been discussing alibis and you want to know mine.”

“That’s right.” Shuichi nodded. “I want to figure out where everyone disappeared to this morning and why.”

“I was in the library,” Maki replied, cutting straight to the point. “I wanted to be by myself and the library is usually deserted.”

“Why did you want to be alone?” Shuichi asked, doing his best to delve into the truth.

“Because I wanted to be alone,” Maki stated. “There’s no deeper meaning to it. Is it now a crime to want your own company?”

“I wasn’t accusing you of anything,” Shuichi insisted, somewhat apologetically. “I’m sorry if I came on a bit strong; I just want to get to the bottom of this case.”

“I know.” Maki said. “But I want you to understand Shuichi, that alibis aren’t everything. I’m sure that you already know that as a detective, but don’t forget it.”

“N-no, of course.” Shuichi took on Maki’s advice. “Well, if that’s everything, I’m going to get going.”

“Wait!” Maki demanded, stopping Shuichi from leaving. “You told us to speak to you if we found anything of interest.”

"Y-yes...?" Shuichi said. "Have you found something?"

“Yes,” Maki replied. She retrieved a book from the kitchen counter and passed it to Shuichi. "I found this recipe book in here. I believe it’s what Kirumi was making the tea from.”

Shuichi recognised the book instantly, as he had seen it for himself in the library. The cover read  _‘Tonics and Teas for your everyday needs’._  Maki wouldn't have seen it before, as she wasn't in the library last night, but its purpose was fairly obvious from the cover. “Ah, yes! This is the recipe book.”

"This could prove to be useful," Maki stated. "I'd keep ahold of it if I were you."

"Thank you, I will." Shuichi said, grateful that Maki was helping him. It was nice not to feel so alone in the investigation. Thanking Maki for her time, Shuichi returned to the others in the dining hall, with the book in hand.

“Is that the recipe book?” Kaede asked, spotting what Shuichi was holding right away.

“It is.” Shuichi nodded. “Maki found it in the kitchen. I don't suppose you could look after it?" he gestured to Kaede's backpack.

"Of course!" Kaede smiled, taking the book from Shuichi. "Did you get Maki's alibi?" 

"She was in the library, by herself," Shuichi replied. He didn't want to say too much, as he was aware that Maki could hear him. 

"Well, at least that's one alibi down," Rantaro said. "We better go and fetch the rest." 

"Actually, before we go, there's something I want to talk about," Shuichi said. "I have a theory about Kirumi's death and I want to hear your thoughts."

"Are you sure you want to tell us?" Kaede asked. "I thought you couldn't share your theory yet."

"I've changed my mind," Shuichi explained. "I can't keep things to myself, I need to be open with you."

"We're all ears," Rantaro said encouragingly. 

Everyone in the dining hall gathered around, curious to hear what the Detective had to say. Usually, Shuichi would be hesitant, but he had to trust in his classmates if he wanted to expose the blackened. "I could be wrong, so please don't take my word as the truth, but with the evidence I've found, it seems like the most logical answer. According to the Monokuma File, Kirumi received no physical injuries. We've checked over her body and this information is completely accurate," he revealed. "As the file says, there are no lethal injuries, such as a stab wound."

"So that's ruled out then..." Kaito said.

Shuichi continued. "You might have noticed, there's a lot of blood around Kirumi's mouth and eyes. This is the result of internal bleeding. Internal bleeding narrows down the possibility of methods. For example, she couldn't have been strangled, suffocated, or hit over the head. Many different factors can result in internal bleeding, but given the circumstances, I would say that Kirumi's been poisoned."

"Poisoned?!" Tenko exclaimed.

"Of course, there is a possibility that she was already ill and died of natural causes, but that seems unlikely," Shuichi went on. 

"You think Kirumi might’ve been ill?” Kaito narrowed his brow seriously.

"I doubt it," Shuichi replied. "I'm just considering every possibility that could've resulted in internal bleeding."

“I don’t suppose _that_ has anything to do with it?” Kaede pointed to the broken teacup on the floor. “Kirumi might’ve drunk the poison.”

“Oh, that would make a lot of sense! Great thinking, Kaede.” Tenko agreed, filled with praise. "Someone could've snuck in here this morning and put something in the tea when Kirumi's back was turned." 

"That's what I was thinking," Shuichi nodded. "It seems like too much of a coincidence that Kirumi was making tea and poison seems to be involved." 

"Is there any way we can test the liquid to see if it's poisoned?" Kaito asked.

“Unless we drink it, no.” Shuichi sighed. “The equipment that I would need to detect the poison isn't here within the academy.”

"It's right about now we could do with your talent lab," Rantaro remarked.

“I think Kaito should drink the liquid,” Tenko spoke up.

“W-what?!” Kaito squawked. “If it's poison it could kill me!"

“You should be willing to sacrifice your life for the good of the investigation, degenerate,” Tenko said sternly.

“If you’re so big on sacrifices, you drink it.” Kaito retorted, refusing to let the poison touch his lips.

Rantaro shook his head. “No one is going to drink the poison. We don’t want to increase the death count.”

“Actually, you should give it to me.” Keebo volunteered himself, approaching the teapot. “I can drink it.”

"Keebo!" Kaede gasped. "You can't do that. Just because you’re a robot it doesn’t mean you should have to take the sacrifice. No one else needs to die."

“I appreciate your concern, Kaede, but it's okay.” Keebo smiled. “I can drink the poison because it won’t affect me.”

“Are you sure?” Shuichi asked. "It won't interfere with your system, will it?" he couldn't risk Keebo getting hurt.

"I'll be fine," Keebo reassured him. "I only need to test a small sample for my analytics system to identify every single ingredient within the tea."

“You can do that?!” Shuichi exclaimed. “Well, if you wouldn’t mind, that would be really helpful! You’ll really be aiding the investigation.”

“I’m happy to help,” Keebo replied. He picked up the teapot and removed the lid. Sticking out his tongue, he tried to plant his head inside the pot for a taste, but he couldn't reach deep enough.

“Keebo, maybe you should pour the tea into a cup…” Shuichi suggested, as he watched the Robot struggle.

“Oh, of course!” Keebo nodded. He poured himself a serving of tea and downed it in one. As soon as he'd swallowed the liquid, he began to splutter. "B-B-blah!" 

“Keebo, are you okay?” Kaede gasped, instantly concerned. 

“I’m fine," Keebo quickly reassured her. "It’s just this tea...it’s disgusting.”

"Disgusting?" Tenko repeated in surprise. "But Kirumi made that tea. She would never make something bad! Trust a degenerate to underestimate her work."

“Maybe it’s the recipe,” Tsumugi suggested.

“No, it’s not the recipe.” Keebo shook his head. “There is definitely something strange about this tea; it doesn't taste right."

"Can your system identify what it is?" Shuichi asked.

"Give me a minute," Keebo said. "Hmm, I can detect eight different ingredients, but one isn't recognised by my system." 

"Your system sounds pretty useless," Tenko remarked. "It proves that you can never rely on a male..."

"Actually, this is quite rare," Keebo objected. "It's an unknown product I've never come across before." 

"Why can you detect eight ingredients?" Tsumugi pondered. "Kirumi said yesterday that there were seven..." 

"That's right, she did," Shuichi nodded. 

"Is there a way you can figure out what this mysterious ingredient is?" Rantaro asked.

"Unfortunately not," Keebo replied. "Well, not unless I find the mysterious ingredient in real life and taste it. That's the only way my system can match it." 

"Ah, I don't think that will be much of a lead then," Shuichi sighed. "We don't have time to make you test every ingredient in the warehouse." 

"Out of interest, what else did you detect in the tea?" Rantaro asked. "We should see if it matches what's written in the recipe book."

"Good thinking!" Kaede exclaimed, delving into her backpack for the book. She flicked through the pages until she came across the right one. "Okay, what have you got?"

"Peppermint, cinnamon, lemon juice, ginger, maple syrup, black pepper and chai leaves," Keebo replied, listing the ingredients off of his fingers. 

Tenko pulled a sour face. “That sounds...gross.”

Shuichi had to admit, the ingredients didn’t sound like they were meant to go together, but this was an investigation, not a tea critiquing session.

Kaede nodded approvingly. "The ingredients you listed match up with what's written in the book." 

"Actually..." Keebo gasped, his face lighting up with hope. "My system has made a small detection! I still can't properly decipher the eighth ingredient, but it's suggesting its properties match with that of cleaning chemicals."

"You mean the eighth ingredient is a cleaning chemical of sorts?" Rantaro sought clarification.

"It seems that way, yes." Keebo nodded. 

"That would make sense why it isn't in your system," Kaede said. "I take it that you don't make a habit of drinking cleaning products." 

"We need to make a trip to the warehouse," Shuichi stated. "Kaede could you come with me? And Rantaro, could you carry on collecting alibis?"

“Woah, hold on a second.” Tenko interrupted them. “Why is Kaede being sent all alone with a degenerate male, just after a murder has occurred?” she scowled at Shuichi for his 'stupid' suggestion.

“Are you implying that I’m guilty, Tenko?” Shuichi asked nervously. “I assure you that I’m not. I’ve been with everyone all morning.”

“I don’t care, all degenerates are dangerous deep down.” Tenko ranted. “Kaede, I’m coming to protect you.”

“Are you sure?” Kaede said. She was grateful for Tenko’s kindness but did not need her protection. “I trust Shuichi, so I don’t mind going with him alone.”

“I’m coming with you Kaede!” Tenko insisted. “Not on my watch will a girl be left alone with a degenerate.”

"Well then, you two might as well go together," Shuichi decided, changing his mind. "Rantaro, I'll come with you instead."

"What are we looking for in the warehouse?" Kaede asked. 

"I need you to collect a sample of all the cleaning products you can find," Shuichi stated. "I want to see if any of them match the mysterious ingredient that Keebo detected." 

"Got it!" Kaede nodded. "Let's get going then, Tenko." 

With that, the two girls left for the warehouse. Meanwhile, Shuichi and Rantaro planned where to go next. They needed to track down more alibis, but they decided to make a detour to the dormitories first, as they wanted to investigate Kirumi's room. Earlier that morning, Kirumi had left a note in the dormitories, so Shuichi wanted to see if any clues lay within the note or Kirumi’s room itself. 

With no time to waste, they headed straight for the dormitories. Inside, they came across Angie, who was sitting on the stairs, talking to herself. "Atua, please welcome Kirumi with open arms." 

Shuichi chose not to interrupt Angie’s prayer, as he thought it to be disrespectful. He didn't need to speak to her anyway, as he already knew her alibi; it was the same as his. The boys crept past Angie, towards the back of the dormitories, where Kirumi's note was pinned to the wall. Shuichi reread it to refresh his memory. 

_Good Morning,_

_Despite the challenging conditions of our environment, I hope you all managed to get some sleep. I am preparing fresh tea, which is designed to lift our mood. I am also decorating the canteen in an attempt to lift our spirits. I want everything to be set up before you see, so I will come and get you when it is ready. It should take no more than thirty minutes, so I will find you at 8:30._

_Sincerely,_

_Kirumi Tojo._

No immediate clues jumped out at Shuichi, as nothing was out of the ordinary. It could be seen as strange that Kirumi asked everyone to stay away from the dining hall until she came and got them, but this was likely because she didn't want anyone spoiling the surprise of her makeover. That being said, if Kirumi wasn't the one who had written the note, then it would raise a lot of questions. Shuichi had to consider the possibility of a forgery. 

“Shuichi!” having finished her prayer, Angie called for the detective. "Rantaro!"

“Oh hi, Angie.” Shuichi turned around, greeting the artist. “I didn’t disturb your prayer, did I?”

“Not at all,” Angie reassured him. “Atua says hellooooo! He's looking down, keeping a watchful eye over the investigation.”

“Ah, how...nice of him.” Shuichi wasn’t sure what he could say without offending Angie. “Have you done much investigating?”

“No, my time has been spent praying to Atua,” Angie explained.

"Don't suppose he's found any clues?" Rantaro asked, clearly joking. 

"No, he's been busy talking to me," Angie replied, seriously. 

"What have you been talking about?" Rantaro asked.

“I asked for Atua to guide the class trial in the right direction,” Angie revealed. 

Shuichi realised that he had to get the topic off of Atua, or he wasn’t going to get anywhere; Angie would happily talk about her God all day. Shuichi snatched Kirumi’s note off of the wall and passed it to Angie. “What do you think about this?”

“Hmm?” Angie looked to see what she was being given. “Ah yes, it's Kirumi’s note from this morning. Strange, isn't it? Kirumi was alive to write this note this morning, but now she exists no more! Well, not on Earth, at least." 

Despite Angie's unsettling chirpy tone, it was a rather depressing thought. Kirumi had woken up, thinking she had the entire day ahead of her. Little did she know, that her life was going to be cut short.

"I wonder how everything went so wrong..." Shuichi sighed, as he folded up the note and stored it in his trouser pocket. 

"Don't worry, Shuichi, Kirumi is in a better place now," Angie reassured him. "The afterlife is where she can finally rest, away from Monokuma and his evil motive."

Was Angie right? Although, Kirumi was no longer trapped in the academy, forced to participate in the killing game, Shuichi wasn't sure that death was a better fate.

"A better place...do you really think so?" Shuichi asked. 

"Of course!" Angie insisted. "Atua will have welcomed her with open arms. There's enough love in his heart for everyone." 

Shuichi decided to change the subject because he felt uncomfortable. "We're going to look in Kirumi's room," he announced, retrieving Kirumi's dorm key that he'd pocketed earlier. 

"Oh, you be won't be needing that," Angie said. "Gonta's already in her room."

"How?" Shuichi frowned. 

"Did Kirumi have more than one key?" Rantaro theorised. "Na, surely not..."

"He asked Monokuma to open it," Angie revealed. 

"Oh, that makes more sense." Rantaro nodded.

"I guess we should join him then," Shuichi said. "There could be some clues." 

"Are you joining us, Angie?" Rantaro asked.  

"No thanks," Angie declined his offer. "I need to finish my prayer to Atua." 

The boys said goodbye to Angie and made their way to Kirumi's dorm room, which was already unlocked, thanks to Gonta. They found the Ultimate Entomologist inside, on his knees, peering under the bed. He looked up from the floor, having heard the boys enter the room. 

"Hi Gonta," Shuichi greeted him. "Angie said Monokuma let you in here."

Gonta nodded. "Gonta look for clues in Kirumi's room."

"I'm surprised Monokuma let you inside," Rantaro said. "I thought he'd enjoy holding up the investigation."

"Monokuma helpful to Gonta," Gonta admitted.

Shuichi felt instantly suspicious; Monokuma was never helpful. "Have you found any clues in here?"

"Not yet." Gonta shook his head. "Gonta no can look in many places as Gonta is gentleman."

"What do you mean?" Shuichi frowned.

"Gentleman no look through Kirumi's things," Gonta explained.

"Ah, I see," Shuichi nodded. Gonta felt improper to look through Kirmui's belongings. It did feel rather uncomfortable to rummage through someone's room. "But don't worry Gonta, Kirumi would understand. We have to look through everything that we can if we're going to help her."

Gonta smiled, appearing more confident. "Then Gonta will look everywhere!" 

The three boys split the task between them, looking for any potential clues. Kirumi's room was immaculate, everything in its proper place. Shuichi felt bad, because he was making such a mess in the process. 

All of a sudden, Gonta shouted from across the room, bursting with excitement. "Gonta find clue!" 

"What did you find?" Rantaro asked.

Gonta was waving something about in his hands. "Look!" he passed it to Rantaro.

"Oh," Rantaro admired the item for a second. "It's a digital alarm clock," he stated, showing Shuichi the small device.

"Alarm clock?" Gonta was puzzled. 

It was clear to see that Gonta had never encountered one before, so Shuichi offered him an explanation. "An alarm clock is used to wake people up, similarly to the Monokub's morning alarm. You can choose a certain time to be woken." 

"I wonder why Kirumi had this in her room..." Rantaro scratched his head. 

"I'm not sure, but I don't think there's anything suspicious about it," Shuichi said. 

The alarm clock wasn't a clue after all, so the boys carried on with their search. Inside the draw of Kirumi's desk, Shuichi found a yellow Monosuke notepad, which he recognised from the warehouse. The Detective opened the book, eager to see if anything had been written inside. Much to his delight, the book was filled with words. On the first page, he found a to-do list, which had been written very neatly.

_To-do:_

_\- Make breakfast_

_\- Prepare fresh apple juice_

_\- Tidy Miu's lab_

_\- Wash the dishes_

_\- Make Kokichi a pineapple upside down cake_

_\- Practise magic with Himiko_

_\- Look for bugs with Gonta_

_\- Cook lunch_

_\- Wash the dishes again_

Shuichi stopped reading, as the list went on and on. "Look at this!" he showed Gonta and Rantaro. 

"Woah, Kirumi was even busier than I thought," Rantaro remarked.

"Gonta remember!" Gonta exclaimed. "Kirumi help Gonta look for bugs, as Gonta find none."

"She really wanted to help everyone..." Shuichi said.

"Is there much else in that notebook?" Rantaro asked.

Shuichi flicked through the pages. He found more to-do lists, and a few recipes that Kirumi had noted down. The notebook was only half full, which was hardly surprising, considering how little time the students had actually been at the academy for. The final entry in the notebook was a schedule. 

_Breakfast Tea Preparations:_

_7:10 a.m. - Wake up_

_7:15 a.m. - Make the bed_

_7:20 a.m. - Shower & get dressed_

_7:30 a.m. - Brush Teeth_

Shuichi took a break from reading. "Kirumi really goes into intricate detail..." 

_7:40 a.m. - Go to the warehouse. Collect the ingredients and decorations_

_8:00 a.m._  - _Enter the dining hall & put up the decorations_

_8:15 a.m. - Make the tea_

_8:25 a.m. - Serve the tea_

_8:30 a.m. - Collect the others_

Rantaro had been reading over Shuichi's shoulder. "You're not kidding! So, this must've been her plan for this morning."

"There are no doubts about it." Shuichi agreed. 

"I guess that explains why Kirumi has the alarm clock," Rantaro theorised. "She got up at 7:10, so she would've needed it to wake up earlier than the rest of us."

"Even with the fire alarms, she was getting up early..." Shuichi realised. The familiar feeling of guilt returned; Kirumi had been overworking herself and Shuichi had done nothing to stop it.

"Poor Kirumi," Gonta hung his head. 

"I'm going to keep ahold of this," Shuichi announced, tearing out the page and pocketing it. "I think it might come in useful during the class trial; it documents Kirumi's plan on the morning of her murder." 

"That's a good idea," Rantaro agreed. "At least something useful came from looking in here."

"I don't think we're going to find anything else, so we should probably get going," Shuichi decided. "There are still a lot of people I haven't spoken to."

Shuichi hadn't collected Gonta's alibi, but there was no need. Although Gonta had left, he only went to the bottom of the pathway, near the Shrine of Judgement, to look for bugs. It was impossible for him to be the killer, as he would have to have passed the students by the picnic benches if he wanted to go inside. 

"Gonta will stay here," Gonta announced. "Gonta want to keep looking."

"That's sensible," Shuichi said. "You could find something that we've missed." it wasn't like they needed a third person to collect alibis with them. 

Completely focused, Shuichi said goodbye to Gonta, and left with Rantaro. On their way out of the dormitories, they bumped into Himiko. The young Mage was yawning her head off, her dormitory key in hand.

"Hi Himiko," Shuichi said, his gaze on her key. "Are you going to your room?" 

"Mhmm." Himiko replied, showing little interest in talking to him.

"How come?" Shuichi asked. He was confused, as there weren't going to be any clues in her own dorm room.

"To nap," Himiko revealed. "Now that a murder has occurred, Monokuma's motive has been lifted. His new rules aren't in the handbook anymore."

"You're going to sleep?" Rantaro narrowed his brow. "Don't you think it's kinda the wrong time?" 

"But I'm sleepy," Himiko protested. "I need to nap to refresh my magic before the class trial."

"And you do that by sleeping?" Rantaro said doubtfully.

"Yeah..." Himiko said, putting little effort into her lie.

"Have you done any investigating?" Shuichi asked. It wasn't very fair if Himiko did nothing whilst the others did all of the work. Everyone was tired, but they couldn't afford to sleep until after the class trial...if they survived it.  

"Nyeh, I've been busy." Himiko avoided his question.

"Busy doing what?" Shuichi pressed.

"Finding out if I can sleep during the day again." Himiko admitted.

Shuichi sighed; Himiko was hard work. No matter what he said, she probably wasn't going to lend a helping hand. He couldn't afford to spend the next ten minutes wasting time trying to persuade her to join in. "Well, if you insist on going to sleep, can I at least ask for your alibi before you go?" at least obtaining her alibi would be productive. 

"My alibi?" Himiko echoed.

"From this morning," Shuichi elaborated. "Everyone was waiting by the picnic tables, but you didn't stay. Where did you go?"

"I went to practise my magic," Himiko said, her story the same. 

Rantaro got involved with a follow-up question. "Where did you practise?"

"I tried to practise in the classrooms, but they didn't have the right energy," Himiko shared. "So I decided to try the warehouse. I thought I'd be able to use some of the items in there to assist with my magic."

"I see." Shuichi noted. "So you were in the warehouse, which is opposite the dining hall - the crime scene. Did you see or hear anything suspicious?"

"Kinda..." Himiko said. "Kokichi and I heard this-" 

Rantaro interrupted her. "Kokichi? I didn't know he was there."

"Oh, yeah," Himiko said. "He came into the warehouse whilst I was practising my magic. It was pretty annoying. He was begging me to teach him how to make Keebo disappear."

"No surprises there." Rantaro muttered.

"We were both in the warheouse, when we heard a really loud thud, like a crashing sound." Himiko shared. "It came from the dining hall, but we didn't investigate the noise because Kokichi was still bothering me to teach him. To distract him from being annoying, I showed him some of my simple magic tricks."

"Right," Shuichi followed along. "Did you investigate the noise in the dining hall at all?"

"Sorta, by accident..." Himiko nodded. "Kokichi got bored of my magic and said he was going to the dining hall to bother Kirumi into making him a smoothie. Kokichi left but came back twenty seconds later, asking me to come the dining hall. I did...and...and that's when we found Kirumi...dead." 

"What time was this?" Shuichi asked. He didn't want to sound insensitive, but he had to focus on the evidence. 

Himiko shrugged. "I dunno."

"Do you have any idea?" Shuichi insisted, desperate for information. "Even a rough estimate."

"Nyehhh, I dunno," Himiko wasn't any help. "But as soon as it happened, we came outside to tell everyone. That's when I saw you again."

"Hm, that was about a minute before the body discovery alarm went off, so it must've been 8:54," Rantaro concluded. "Himiko, do you remember when you heard that loud noise?"

"Nyehh, you ask too many questions," Himiko pouted. "I'm too tired for this..."

Shuichi deemed it useless to ask Himiko any more questions. Perhaps after her nap she would feel more awake, so would be willing to answer him again in the class trial. "Well thank you for your time, Himiko. We'll get going so you can sleep." 

"I dunno if you wanna go outside," Himiko remarked. "Miu and Kokichi are arguing. It's really annoying."

"They're arguing?!" Shuichi exclaimed. "What about?"

"Nyeh, I don't know." Himiko shrugged. 

"We should find out for ourselves," Shuichi said to Rantaro.

With that, the boys hurried out of the building.

Outside, Miu and Kokichi were standing by the bushes, engaged in an aggressive argument. Kokichi was holding a large orange bucket, which he was waving around in Miu's face tauntingly. 

"It's not mine you fuckin' rat!" Miu shouted, her face growing redder by the second.

"What's going on here?" Rantaro asked, getting himself involved. 

"Look in here," Kokichi instructed, holding the bucket for Rantaro to see.

Rantaro peered inside. "Oh...uh..." his face held a look of confusion.

"What is it?" Shuichi asked curiously. 

Kokichi let him look inside too. "What do you think it is?" he smirked.

Shuichi stared into the bucket, surprised by what he saw. "Is that...?" he looked at the yellow liquid inside the bucket; there was only one possibility...

"Yup, it's a bucket of Miu's pee!" Kokichi grinned, waving the bucket around once again.

"Be careful with that," Shuichi winced, afraid that Kokichi might spill it over him.

"Is your toilet broken, Miu?" Rantaro asked sincerely.

"It is not mine, fuckface!" Miu growled. 

"I'm so confused..." Rantaro scratched his head. "Where did you even find this?"

"It was in the bushes," Kokichi revealed. "I saw Miu sniffing around here, holding the bucket, so I came to see what she was up to." 

"I had the bucket because I found it in the bushes too." Miu insisted, still bright red in the face. 

"I wonder why it's here..." Shuichi pondered. 

"Because Miu is an animal who can't use the toilet." Kokichi snickered. 

"Is this definitely urine?" Shuichi asked. 

Kokichi shrugged. "Do you wanna smell it?" 

"No, I'll pass..." Shuichi rejected the offer instantly. "But there's something suspicious about this bucket."

"It isn't mine!" Miu ranted. "Why don't you blame Gonta?! He looks like a feral creature; it's prolly his piss." 

"But Gonta is a gentleman, he'd never do something like that..." Kokichi smiled innocently, all the while, stirring up more drama. 

The strange bucket was an interesting clue, but they weren't going to achieve anything by arguing over who it belonged to. To maximise his time, and to calm down Miu, Shuichi changed the subject to alibis.

"Could both of you tell me where you went this morning?" Shuichi asked. “I’m trying to collect everyone’s alibis before the trial.” Himiko claimed that Kokichi had been with her, but Shuichi wanted to see if their stories lined up.

“That’s none of your business.” Miu folded her arms defiantly. “Stop trying to perv on what I was doing.”

Shuichi sighed in frustration. “I’m not trying to perv on you, I’m trying to help you prove your innocence. What were you doing this morning?”

“Why should I tell you?” Miu scowled.

“Cuz you look pretty guilty if you don’t.” Rantaro joined in. “Kirumi was murdered this morning, at a time when you were by yourself. Don’t you have a defence?”

“I’m not telling you.” Miu insisted stubbornly. “Mind your own fuckin’ business.”

“But we’re trying to help you-” Shuichi objected.

“Fuck off, will ya Pooichi?” Miu snapped aggressively, turning on her heels and storming off towards her lab. 

“Well, that’s not suspicious at all…” Kokichi remarked.

"What about you, Kokichi?" Shuichi asked. "What were you doing."

" _I can't tell you_ ," Kokichi sang, making light of the situation. " _Sorrrrry!_ " 

"Whyever not?" Shuichi frowned.

"Cuz I was in the dining hall hacking Kirumi to death!" the Supreme Leader exclaimed. "Oops, I said too much!" 

Shuichi tried not to roll his eyes. This was clearly a lie because Kirumi had no physical injuries on her body. "Please don't waste my time..." 

"Maybe if you hadn't have run off to the bathroom at the start of the investigation, to take a massive dump, then you'd have more time to waste," Kokichi smirked. 

Shuichi refused to let Kokichi's comment get to him. "What were you doing this morning?" he pressed. 

"Now...let me think..." Kokichi pretended to stroke an imaginary beard, appearing deep in thought. "I must've caught Rantaro's amnesia cuz I've totally forgotten!" 

"We're not  _that_ stupid!" Rantaro exclaimed. "Besides, you just said Miu is acting suspiciously because she didn't tell us her alibi, but neither are you."

"You can't blame me, it's my amnesia." Kokichi insisted. "I'm actually pretty upset that you're mocking my condition."

Rantaro folded his arms. "I don't suppose your amnesia will have magically been cured by the time the class trial comes around?" he remarked.

"Who knows," Kokichi shrugged. "But at least I'm keeping things interesting." 

"Interesting?" Shuichi echoed in horror. "This isn't supposed to be entertaining; Kirumi was murdered."

"We could all get executed in the class trial," Kokichi pointed out. "These could be the final few minutes of our lives; we've gotta have some fun."

Shuichi shook his head; he was never going to agree with Kokichi's logic. Final moments or not, this wasn't the time to be joking about. He decided to bring his conversation with Kokichi to an end, because he clearly wasn't going to get any serious answers. Leaving Kokichi lumbered with the 'pee' bucket, Shuichi and Rantaro returned to the main school building. 

They were on their way to the dining hall, to see if Kaede and Tenko had returned with the cleaning products, when they bumped into Korekiyo. The Anthropologist had just left the boys' bathroom, the door closing behind him. 

"Ah, Shuichi, the very person that I wanted to see!" Korekiyo greeted him.

Shuichi wasn't sure if he was supposed to be flattered. "You want to see me?"

"Yes, I have some information to share with you," Korekiyo announced. "It's about Kaito." 

"Kaito?!" Shuichi exclaimed, surprised to be talking about the Astronaut. 

"This information could render completely useless, but I thought you would like to know," Korekiyo said. "Last night, I was struggling to sleep, due to our dreadful conditions. I was uncomfortable in my bathroom, so I decided to step outside and get some fresh air. I locked up my room and headed outside, but I was not alone. Kaito was outside of the dormitories, pacing up and down. He seemed rather upset about something."

"Was he crying, or...?" Rantaro tried to gain a better understanding.

"Crying, no." Korekiyo shook his head. "But he was clearly shaking and seemed different to his usual self. I found his behaviour most peculiar, so I decided to go back to bed before he spotted me, in case I was putting my life in danger."

"So Kaito didn't see you then?" Shuichi asked.

"He did not," Korekiyo confirmed. "He was too busy pacing about to have seen me."

"That is pretty strange," Rantaro agreed. "Do you remember what time this was?"

"It was after the first fire alarm, but before the second," Korekiyo said. "So it must have been between twelve and two. I am afraid I cannot offer a more specific time." 

"I spoke to Kaito earlier and he never mentioned anything about this," Shuichi reflected. "I wonder why he kept it from me..."

"Because it doesn't paint him in a good light, that's why." Rantaro pointed out.

"Whilst you're here, would you care to hear my alibi?" Korekiyo offered. "I presume that is something you need to collect for the trial."

"Actually, yes, that would be very helpful," Shuichi said gratefully. "I think you're the first person who's given it to me voluntarily..."

"Wait, I remember, you went to your dorm room this morning," Rantaro interjected. 

"That is correct," Korekiyo nodded. "I took a long shower, in order to freshen up for Kirumi's tea."

A long shower? Shuichi instantly became suspicious. Monokuma had messed with all of their showers; making them ice cold or scolding hot. How had Korekiyo been able to take a long shower in those conditions? He decided not to press the issue any further, but it was definitely something he planned on mentioning in the class trial. He wanted to put Korekiyo on the spot in front of the others, so that he didn't have time to make up an excuse.

Once they'd finished with Korekiyo, the two boys continued their journey to the dining hall. Inside, they found Kaede, Tenko, Kaito, Tsumugi, and Keebo. They were gathered around the table, engaged in conversation. Shuichi was pleased to see that the girls were back, although he couldn't understand why there were no cleaning supplies in sight.

"You took your time," Tenko ended her current conversation to speak to the boys.

"We were getting alibis," Rantaro explained. "How did your search in the warehouse go?"

"It wasn't very successful," Kaede sighed. "We couldn't find any cleaning products."

"None? At all?" Shuichi exclaimed. "But the warehouse has everything..."

"We looked everywhere," Kaede shared. "Monophanie even showed up to help. She said that the academy only stocks one type of cleaning product, but it's out of stock at the moment."

"She showed us where it usually is, and the shelf was totally empty, so I don't think she was lying," Tenko added. "They're waiting for a new delivery."

"How can the warehouse just stock one cleaning product?" Rantaro muttered. "They don't all do the same thing."

"She said this one does," Tenko insisted. "Although I'd never heard of it before."

"I think she said it was called Mono something..." Kaede recalled. "Monoblast, that's it!"  

“Monoblast?” Shuichi repeat, having never heard the word in his life.

Rantaro shrugged his shoulders. “It beats me too.”

“Ugh, so ignorant!” out of nowhere, Monokuma burst into their circle. This time, he had brought a plate of fish with him.

Tsumugi turned pale as soon as Monokuma arrived, crying out in horror at the terrible smell. “Please change up your diet!”

Monokuma ignored Tsumugi, tucking into his breakfast. "Monoblast is _the_ number one, multi-purpose, cleaning essential. It’s adored by millions worldwide.

“Was this product made by you by any chance?” Shuichi asked. The name held too much resemblance to be a coincidence. 

“That’s right, it's my creation!” Monokuma bragged. “With just one spray, any stain can be removed!”

“That sounds powerful,” Kaede remarked.

“That’s because it is,” Monokuma said. “You wanna know how it's so powerful?”

Aware that it could aid the investigation, Shuichi said yes.

“Monoblast is made up of fifty-five different cleaning products combined into one,” Monokuma revealed. “But don’t tell that to my competitors, or I’ll have you killed!”

“Fifty-five?” Rantaro repeated. “That seems a bit excessive…”

“It has to be if you want it to be powerful,” Monokuma replied.

“Surely, it’s dangerous to even inhale the stuff,” Kaito said.

“It's not dangerous to smell or touch, otherwise we wouldn't get any sales,” Monokuma reassured him. “But you don't wanna drink it. There are so many chemicals, you'd be dead in seconds." 

“Hmm, that’s interesting…” Shuichi reflected on what he had just been told. Keebo had found a cleaning product in Kirumi's tea, and the academy only stocked one cleaning product...Monoblast, which was deadly to drink. Without a doubt in his mind, Kirumi had been poisoned.

“One sip of that stuff, and your insides are done for.” Monokuma scared them. “Why are you talking about my product anyway?”

“Because Keebo found traces of it in Kirumi’s tea,” Shuichi replied. “I am certain now that Kirumi has been poisoned.”

“How suspicious Monokuma, that Kirumi has died from your product.” Tenko narrowed her eyes at the bear.

“Hey, don’t look at me. I’m not allowed to kill, remember?” Monokuma protested. “Monoblast is fully stocked in the warehouse, so any of you punks can get your hands on it.”

“Now that you mention it, I think I’ve seen Kirumi use it before…” Kaede confessed. 

“Really?” Shuichi raised his eyebrows. This wasn’t something he’d paid attention to.

“Of course she would have used it, it’s the only cleaning product we stock here,” Monokuma claimed. “I don’t like stocking brands here at the academy, we’ve got to keep the capitalism outside of the walls.” he waffled on. “Monoblast was designed for the academy and that’s where it stays.”

“Didn’t you just say your product is used by millions?” Tenko recalled.

“Ignore him, that was probably a lie.” Kaede sighed. “There’s no way a product with that many chemicals would be allowed on the shelves for people to buy.”

"Either way, it's here inside the academy, where anyone can get their hands on it." Kaito pointed out. 

"Oh, I forgot to say, Monophanie gave us some more information," Kaede shared. "Apparently, the academy usually stocks twenty-five bottles of Monoblast at a time. So that means twenty-five bottles are currently missing." 

"That doesn't sound good..." Shuichi muttered, thinking to himself. He wished he could see the Monoblast, as it seemed to be important. Perhaps it was in the warehouse somewhere, but had been placed on the wrong shelf. Shuichi was about to leave for the warehouse when an announcement rang through the speakers. He turned to the monitor, staring at Monokuma on the screen. The bear had slipped out of the dining hall without anyone even noticing.  

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_

"I know you're all wetting yourselves with excitement, so I won't keep you waiting any longer. It's now time for the highly anticipated class trial! Please assemble in front of the Shrine of Judgement in the courtyard! From there, you'll be escorted to the class trial. I'll see you  _very_ soon!" 

"It's time for the trial already?!" Tenko exclaimed. "We've barely had any time." 

"There's nothing more we can do now." Keebo said.

"I wish we didn't have to go." Tsumugi shuddered.

Shuichi felt his stomach drop.  

***

 

At the Shrine of Judgement, fifteen, scared students were waiting. Their lives were hanging in the balance because someone had triggered the killing game. To the surprise of the students, the Shrine's statue had been replaced. The wonderful work of marble was nowhere to be seen, instead, they were forced to stare at a revolting buff Monokuma. 

"That statue is vile..." Tenko remarked, eyeing it up in disgust. "What happened to the old one?"

"I have no idea, but I don't like this one." Tsumugi agreed.

"How long is Monokuma going to keep us waiting?" Kaito said. "I thought the trial would begin as soon as we got here."

"You're being impatient; it's only been two minutes." Maki reminded him.

"I was under the impression that Monokuma would collect us from here," Korekiyo said. "This space is not appropriate to hold a class trial." 

All of a sudden, the Monokuma statute started to rumble. It was so violent, that for a split second, Shuichi thought he was experiencing an earthquake. The statue began to sink, disappearing into the water it rested on. Where the waterfall had been flowing, an elevator appeared, along with a path to keep the students dry. The elevator doors sprung open, welcoming the students inside. 

"I wasn't expecting that," Ryoma admitted.

As Ryoma spoke, it occurred to Shuichi that he was the only person that he hadn't spoken to or seen during the investigation. What had Ryoma been up to? Had they missed each other by chance or was there more to it? 

"Do we have to get in it?" Himiko asked warily. "What if it plunges us to our deaths?!" 

"It could be a trap," Tenko agreed.

"I doubt we have much choice in the matter," Korekiyo said. "I'm sure the consequences for not getting in the elevator are far worse."

"We don't need to be afraid, we can do this together." Kaede insisted, trying her best to keep the group united.

One by one, the students boarded the elevator. Shuichi found himself the last person in line. Before stepping in and joining his classmates, he took one last look around, breathing in the fresh air, aware that he might never see the light of day again. If the trial went wrong, fourteen innocent people were going to die. The pressure was eating him alive. Could this really be it? Was he going to die?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, who do you think the first blackened is? ;) I'd love to hear your theories! There will be lots of twists and turns in the trial.  
> Thanks for reading <3


	6. The Class Trial (1.5)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I didn't realise how long this chapter is until I'd finished writing it. You might want to grab some snacks for this one hahaha. It's been such a long time since I've written a class trial so I've been quite nervous to post this, but I've really given it my all so I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> It's time to discover the blackened ;)

The elevator was poorly lit, plunging the fifteen students into darkness. It kept going and going, to the point Shuichi wondered if it would ever stop. After what felt like an eternity, it finally creaked to a halt. The doors swung open, revealing a colourful, atmospheric courtroom. Filled with nervous energy, the students exited the elevator, sticking close together for a sense of security.

In the middle of the room, sixteen podiums were positioned in a circle. At the head of the courtroom, in front of a beautiful stained glass window, was a throne, where Monokuma was comfortably sat, sipping at a Mimosa in a champagne flute. His five Kubs were at his feet, on miniature podiums of their own.

Monophanie was the first to greet them, her smile beaming. “You made it!”

“The shit’s about to hit the fan,” Monokid smirked in delight. “There’s no turnin' back now.”

“This is the ultimate form of entertainment!” Monotaro cheered, practically bursting with excitement.

“Looks like everyone’s here, so we can begin!” Monokuma announced. “Your podiums are labelled, so please find your places!”

It didn't take long for Shuichi to locate his spot; he found himself in the middle of Kaito and Miu. Miu instantly complained because she'd been placed next to a 'perv'. Shuichi tried his best to ignore her and turned to Kaito instead, who gave him a supportive nod. To Kaito's left was Kirumi's podium, where a framed portrait had been constructed in her place. Her face was crossed out with red paint - a distasteful gesture. 

“Ahem!” Monokuma began, calling for their attention. “Now then, let’s begin with a basic explanation of the class trial!"

Shuichi held onto his podium for some support, as his nerves were getting the better of him again. Could he really do this? 

“During the trial, you’ll present your arguments for who the culprit is, and vote for ‘whodunnit’.” Monokuma explained, recapping the rules. “Vote correctly, and only the blackened will be punished. But if you pick the wrong person...I’ll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will graduate from this academy! Also, refusing to vote will result in your death, so you better vote for someone! Now, let’s get this trial rolling!”

Rantaro was the first one to speak, his voice echoing in such a large, empty space. “That’s our cue then.” 

“This is beginning to feel so real...” Tsumugi shuddered. “One of us really gave in to Monokuma’s motive.”

"It was bound to happen eventually," Korekiyo remarked. “Our treatment was bordering on the verge of torture.”

“That makes it sound like you condone what happened!” Tenko exclaimed. “Our conditions may have been awful, but Kirumi shouldn’t have paid the price.”

"Someone committed murder because they want more sleep; it's so selfish." Kaito ranted, shaking his head in frustration.

“Actually...we don’t know for certain if that’s why the blackened killed Kirumi,” Shuichi voiced his opinion. They had to consider all possibilities before making bold claims.

“Spoken like a true detective!" Angie admired.

“Alright then, Sherlock, if you’re so smart, where do we start?” Kokichi teased, putting Shuichi on the spot.

Shuichi paused for a moment to think. “We...we should start by discussing the victim.”

“That’s obvious, dipshit.” Miu rolled her eyes. “The victim is Kirumi Tojo.”

“The Ultimate Maid.” Himiko said.

“Kirumi was kind,” Gonta contributed. "She always help me look for bugs."

"And she made amazing food!" Tsumugi added.

“Kirumi was really hard-working,” Tenko reflected. “Now that I think about, I feel kinda bad. Did we work her too hard?”

“She was our classmate, but we treated her more like a servant.” Kaede sighed, appearing weighed down by the guilt.

“She must’ve been even more exhausted than we were,” Rantaro said. "None of us were sleeping, but Kirumi still worked hard to keep us well fed and happy."

“This is why we’ve gotta do this, why we’ve gotta find Kirumi’s killer!” Kaito exclaimed passionately. “We need to make it up to her, to bring her the justice she deserves.”

“We’re doing this for her.” Kaede agreed.

"Blah! Enough of this crap! Can we get to the trial? I’m borrrred.” Kokichi complained, whining like a child. "It's not like we're doing this _just_ for Kirumi; if we don't solve the trial, then we all die."

It was a rather brutal comment, but Kokichi was right; this was a matter of life or death. Doing his best to take the lead, Shuichi put forward a suggestion. “Why don’t we talk about the Monokuma file? Everyone has seen it, so it’s something we can discuss together.”

“Hmm, the Monokuma File…” Tenko paused, thinking back to the investigation. “It said that Kirumi died in the dining hall.”

“It also said that the time of death is 8:25 a.m.” Ryoma stated.

"The method of death remains unknown." Korekiyo reminded them.

“Monokuma left out that part on purpose, to make the trial even more challenging,” Keebo said.

“Well duh!” Monokuma joined in. “This is a class trial. You have to _solve_ the case.”

“Nyeh, what a pain…” Himiko sighed.

"Can't ya at least give us a clue?" Kaito asked, looking to his Headmaster.

“Or how about a riddle?!” Tsumugi exclaimed excitedly. “If we solve the riddle correctly, will you give us the answer?”

“D-don’t worry about any riddles,” Shuichi insisted, somewhat confused. “I think I’ve already figured out how Kirumi died.”

“How interesting of you to say,” Korekiyo remarked. “Do tell us more.”

Some of Shuichi’s classmates had heard his theory during the investigation, but not everyone had been present, so he explained everything. “The Monokuma File states that Kirumi received no physical injuries-” he began.

“Can we really trust the Monokuma File?” Kaito interjected. “It seems kinda fishy…”

“P-please don’t remind me of fish,” Tsumugi said weakly, as she pinched her nose. “I can still smell traces of it on Monokuma…”

Maki spoke up. “I’m not sure that we can trust anything Monokuma gives us.”

“I think the file is legitimate,” Kaede reassured them. “I checked over Kirumi’s body myself and everything I saw lined up with what Monokuma had written."

“A-anyway, as I was saying,” Shuichi said, attempting to resume his story. “Kirumi received no physical injuries, besides from some mild bruising on the back of her arms."

"Lying now, are we, Shuichi?" Kokichi cocked his head. "Kirumi's face was covered in blood; she was injured."

“How gory!” Monophanie cried, beginning to shake.

“Uh oh, I think she’s gonna puke!” Monotaro exclaimed.

“Take her out of here, then,” Maki said sternly. “She can’t disrupt the trial.”

“I-I-I’ll be okay-” still quivering, Monophanie covered her mouth with her paws.

Shuichi carried on, as they were just wasting their own time. "You're right, Kokichi; Kirumi's face _was_ covered in blood - but I hadn't gotten to that part yet. The source of the bleeding was from her inside her mouth and eyes. I believe she was coughing up blood, hence why it was around her mouth, and it had also started to pour out of her eye sockets."

"That's brutal," Kaito muttered in disgust. 

"For bleeding like this to occur, Kirumi must have been suffering from internal injuries," Shuichi went on. "This narrows down the possibility of methods that could have killed her. The most likely is-”

“Poison!” Kokichi blurted out.   
  
“Y-yes, that’s right,” Shuichi nodded, impressed by Kokichi's deduction. “I have reason to believe that Kirumi was poisoned. Unless Kirumi was already seriously ill, there isn't much else that could've caused bleeding like this." 

"I don't think Kirumi was ill," Tsumugi said. "She never showed any signs of symptoms." 

"My thoughts exactly." Shuichi agreed. "Now...does anyone remember what was on the floor at the crime scene?" 

“Kirumi.” Kokichi snickered, finding his dark joke rather funny. His classmates didn’t agree and shot him dirty looks.

“There was a broken teacup." Keebo put forward.   
  
“Yes, that’s right.” Shuichi nodded. “There was something else too.”

“The liquid on the floor,” Kaede said. “It was a yellowy-brown kind of colour."

“Someone must’ve pissed themselves at the sight of the body!” Miu exclaimed. “It was prolly Gonta, cuz he seems pussy enough.”

Gonta scratched his head in confusion. “What is piss?”

Kokichi seized the opportunity to have some fun. “Pissing is something a Gentleman does, Gonta."

“Ah!” Gonta’s eyes lit up in delight. “Then yes, Gonta piss! Gonta piss everywhere!”

“Uh, Gonta…” Rantaro said awkwardly, as he attempted to break the truth gently. "Pissing is...another expression for going to the toilet.”

“Oh!” Gonta’s jaw dropped, horrified at what he’d just confessed to. “Then no, no! Gonta would never do that. Especially not near Kirumi. Gonta is gentleman.”

Kokichi was laughing away to himself. "Nee-heehee!"

“No one urinated in the dining hall.” Shuichi gave an exasperated sigh. “The liquid on the floor was some of the tea that Kirumi had prepared. We know this because there was a pot of it waiting on the table.”

"The tea must've been in the cup," Rantaro theorised. "When the cup fell to the floor and smashed, it spilt."

"I wonder how it fell." Tsumugi pondered. "From what I remember, all of the cups were on the dining table. They should have been safe there."

"The teacup smashed right next to Kirumi's body," Shuichi said. "I don't think it had been on the table with the others. I think Kirumi was holding it when she died."

"When Kirumi collapsed, the cup went with her," Kaito agreed. 

“From the evidence I gathered earlier, I've come to the conclusion that the poison was in the tea," Shuichi stated. "I think that Kirumi drank the poison and collapsed instantly, which is when the cup smashed." 

“Are we sure that Kirumi was poisoned?” Angie asked. “Because it doesn't explain why her arms are covered in bruises. Atua thinks she was attacked!”

“That’s true...” Tenko frowned. “I reckon a filthy degenerate grabbed her arms and bruised her because their grip was so strong. Then, they cruelly killed her."

“But we know that Kirumi didn’t receive any physical injuries,” Rantaro pointed out. “So how was she attacked?” 

"Maybe the killer strangled her," Angie suggested. 

"If Kirumi had been strangled, I would have noticed bruising around her neck." Shuichi disagreed. “Kirumi can't have been attacked, because the file would have said so. The bleeding is definitely internal and the cause of Kirumi's death.”

"The blackened could've grabbed Kirumi and stuck their fingers in her eyes," Tenko put forward. "That would explain the bleeding."

"But that theory wouldn't explain the bleeding from her mouth." Shuichi objected. 

"Unless you're gonna suggest that the blackened pulled out one of Kirumi's teeth? Or cut off her tongue?" Rantaro said, sarcastically. 

“Hmm…” Tenko paused, before abandoning her theory. “Yeah, nevermind..."

"The bruising could still be from the attacker,” Kaito suggested. “Maybe they grabbed Kirumi and forced the poison down her throat.”

"But that goes against Shuichi's theory of the tea being poisoned." Ryoma pointed out. 

“The more important question, is where did the killer find poison in the academy?” Maki asked. “I haven’t seen any around here.”

"Were you looking for some?" Kokichi smirked.

"Don't be stupid," Maki brushed him off. 

"Unfortunately, I couldn't test the tea to identify the poison, as we don’t have the right equipment here," Shuichi said. "But that’s where Keebo comes into things.”

"I know exactly what poison the killer used and where they got it!" Keebo exclaimed, eager to show off the evidence he'd collected during the investigation. "Since I'm a robot, poison doesn't affect me. So, I offered to drink the tea, as it won't hurt me, and my analytics system can detect all of the ingredients." 

“Keebo has become the class guinea pig.” Kokichi teased.

“Please Kokichi, this is serious.” Keebo frowned. “My system discovered eight different ingredients in the tea.”

“Which were?” Korekiyo pressed.

Keebo named the ingredients one by one. “Ginger, cinnamon, peppermint, lemon juice, maple syrup, chai leaves, and black pepper.”

"That's seven," Maki said bluntly.

"The final ingredient wasn't initially detected by my system, as it's not conventionally something a person would consume," Keebo admitted. "However, I could detect traces of a cleaning product - which narrowed things down." 

"With this information, Tenko and I went to the warehouse, in search of all the cleaning products," Kaede revealed. "We were going to have Keebo try them to see if any matched the eighth ingredient." 

"But, it turns out, that academy only stocks one cleaning product ...Monoblast." Tenko said. 

“Does anyone care to explain to me what Monoblast is?” Korekiyo asked.

“Ooo! I know! I know!” Monotaro piped up. “Monoblast is Father’s all-time, number one, best selling cleaning product!”

“It can remove any stain.” Monosuke promised them.

“Sometimes, I puke up honey on my bed sheets, but one spray of that stuff and it’s all gone!” Monokid said.

Himiko stared at the Kubs in confusion. “Is this a sales pitch now…?”   
  
“Monoblast is a cleaning product, invented by Monokuma,” Shiuchi explained, sharing what he had been told earlier by the Headmaster himself. “Apparently, it’s a mixture of fifty-five cleaning chemicals in one bottle.”

“It sounds so dangerous.” Tsumugi shuddered.

Maki was instantly doubtful. “That sounds fictional; it can’t be real.”

“Oh, really?!” Monokuma retorted. "How's this for some proof?" from underneath his throne, he retrieved a white spray bottle, which he held up for the students to see. 'Monoblast' could clearly be seen on the label, in bright pink letters. 

"How did you get that?" Tenko narrowed her brow. "I thought it was out of stock!" 

"I had this before it went out of stock," Monokuma replied. "I like to keep a bottle in the courtroom, in case of any emergencies." 

“Can we see it?” Kaede asked. "I want to take a closer look."

“No.” Monokuma denied her. “I can’t be bothered to get down and give it to you."

“You're even lazier than Himiko!” Kokichi remarked.

"I'll come to you then," Kaede said.

"Nope!" Monokuma shook his head. "You're not allowed to move from your podium." 

“Monoblast must taste nice if Kirumi chose to put it in the tea,” Angie said. “Can we try some, at least?”

“Angie, no!” Kaede exclaimed. “I don’t think the Monoblast is supposed to be in the tea.”

“The Monoblast is the source of the poison,” Shuichi spoke confidently. “It’s lethal to have even the smallest sip, Monokuma told me himself.”

“No surprises there, if it contains so many chemicals,” Kaito said.

“One sip of Monoblast and your insides will begin to rip apart,” Monokuma said, launching into graphic detail. “It feels like a million piranhas nibbling away at your heart. Like a snake has injected venom into your veins. Like a hamster has eaten its way through your lungs. Like a toad has-”

Rantaro cut him short. “We get the picture.”

Korekiyo recapped everything he’d just been told. “So you’re suggesting that someone planted Monoblast in Kirumi’s tea and this is what killed her?” 

“Correct.” Shuichi nodded.  
  
“And we’re sure that this wasn’t part of the recipe Kirumi was using?” Angie asked, considering all possibilities. 

“Don’t be so fuckin’ stupid, little miss ‘pancakes for tits’.” Miu snapped.

Angie’s suggestion was a little ridiculous, but Shuichi didn’t see the need for Miu’s rude behaviour either.

“I don't think the Monoblast would be a part of the recipe," Kaito said. "It's toxic." 

"Kaede, don't you have the recipe book?" Shuichi said. "We can check, just to be certain." 

“I sure do.” Kaede nodded, delving into her backpack to retrieve the recipe book. She flipped through the pages, searching for the right one. “Ah, here we are! Page 28: From Lethargy to Energy.” she read out the ingredients. “Ginger, cinnamon, peppermint, lemon juice, maple syrup, black pepper, and chai leaves.”

“No Monoblast,” Keebo observed.

Shuichi thought this was rather obvious, but at least everyone was now on the same page.

“So Monokuma’s cleaning product was used as poison,” Maki said, putting the facts together. “It’s a rather odd choice, if you ask me.”

“No one did ask you,” Miu said rudely.

Maki ignored her. "I've never heard of Monoblast before, I didn't think anyone here would have." 

"Monoblast isn't well known, but I'm pretty sure I know why the blackened used it," Shuichi said.  
  
“Because they’re a clean freak?” Tenko suggested.  
  
“N-no, I don't think so.” Shuichi shook his head.

“I think I know too,” Rantaro said, deep in thought. “From what we’ve seen of the academy, there aren't just bottles of poison lying around. The killer had to think outside of the box." 

“Yes, exactly!” Shuichi exclaimed. “There's no poison in the warehouse, so the blackened was left with no choice but to find an alternative.”

“So, the blackened has to be someone who’s familiar with cleaning products?” Keebo put forward.

“No, I wouldn’t say so," Kaede answered his question. “Ever since I was a baby, my mum has always put cleaning products up high and told me not to touch them. It’s pretty common knowledge that they're dangerous and contain a lot of chemicals."

"Everyone knows not to drink them." Rantaro agreed. "It just so happens that Monoblast contains more chemicals than average."

"Anyone could have done this..." Tenko concluded. 

“Okay, so I think we’ve established that Kirumi was poisoned with Monoblast,” Kaito said. “But how did the blackened successfully plant it in Kirumi’s tea?”

“They must’ve snuck into the dining hall and emptied the Monoblast into the teapot when Kirumi wasn’t looking,” Tenko said.

“But if the blackened acted stealthily, then why are Kirumi’s arms bruised?” Korekiyo pointed out.

“Maybe the killer planted the poison in the tea, but got caught in the act,” Rantaro theorised. “Afraid that Kirumi would expose them to the rest of us, they grabbed her and forced the poison down her throat.”

“That sounds plausible.” Kaito nodded in agreement.

"But if that's true, it doesn't explain the smashed teacup." Kaede objected. “I thought the cup smashed because Kirumi dropped it after consuming the poisoned tea."

“This is plain confusing...” Tsumugi mused. 

"Kirumi could have made the tea, poured herself a serving and  _then_ caught the blackened planting the poison in the pot, which is when they attacked her," Angie said. "That explains why she dropped the teacup. It fell out of her hands when she was attacked!"

Kaede frowned. "I don't think that's true either. Don't you remember what Kirumi told us the other night? She doesn't eat or drink until everyone else has been served."

"You're right, I remember that too," Rantaro said. "I doubt Kirumi would have served herself before us." 

Kaito scratched his head. "Well, something here doesn't add up." 

"Nyeh, we're stuck," Himiko complained. 

"Without any extra evidence, there's no way to know what happened," Ryoma said. 

Korekiyo folded his arms. "We are left with nothing but mere speculation."   
  
They had come to a standstill, which Shuichi was more than aware of. It was difficult to know what to do next. Without gaining any extra evidence, they were never going to move forward. So, Shuichi found himself making an important decision. "I think we need to take a break and discuss something else. Unless we discover some more evidence, we're going to go round in circles." 

"We can return to this topic later, if possible." Rantaro agreed. "But you're right, we should make better use of our time and talk about something else."

"How about our alibis?" Korekiyo put forward. "After all, they are of high importance."

"Yeah, now seems like as good a chance as any," Kaito nodded. "We need to know where everyone was this morning, before the murder." 

"Kirumi's time of death is 8:25 a.m.," Keebo reminded them, in case anyone needed to give their memory a jog. "Who was alone at this time?"

“Kirumi was poisoned, so that means the killer didn't necessarily strike at 8:25," Maki mentioned. "For example, if the killer planted the poison in the tea, they might've done so at 8:10, but Kirumi didn't drink the tea until 8:25."

"Wait a minute," Shuichi gasped, struck by a sudden realisation. "I found something in Kirumi's room earlier," he slipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved a folded piece of paper. "This is a schedule Kirumi had written, planning out her morning. It states here that she was due to make the tea at 8:15." he held it up for all to see.

"So that narrows down our timeframe..." Ryoma said. "If the tea wasn't made until 8:15, the killer couldn't have poisoned it any sooner." 

"But is that true?" Tsumugi disagreed. "The killer didn't need to poison the tea itself. If they poisoned the empty teapot, that would still do the job."

"Ah, I didn't think of that..." Shuichi admitted sheepishly, aware he had gotten ahead of himself. "That's true." 

"There's no way of knowing, so we shouldn't assume," Keebo said. "We have to broaden our timeframe. The murder was committed between 8 and 8:25 a.m." 

“Why 8?” Gonta asked, his expression puzzled. “Gonta no understand.”  
  
“Yeah, surely the murderer could’ve struck sometime before 8.” Kaito frowned. "Where'd you get that idea from?" 

“Ah, it seems like you guys are forgetting something,” Shuichi said. He knew exactly why Keebo had given that specific timeframe. “As Tsumugi reminded me earlier, the dining hall is off limits during nighttime.”

“So?” Kaito said.  
  
“Well, we know for a fact that Kirumi was murdered in the dining hall, as it says so in the Monokuma file.” Shuichi elaborated. “Nighttime hours operate between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. Kirumi couldn’t get into the dining hall until 8, so it's impossible for her to have been killed any earlier."

"Ohhh!" Kaito exclaimed, now understanding. He let out a small chuckle. “That was kinda obvious, huh…”

“Me and my gorgeous brain knew right away.” Miu bragged.  
  
“That was definitely a lie.” Kokichi replied. “I can smell one anywhere. Especially when it’s one of Miu’s lies, cuz they smell like poor body hygiene!”

“H-hey!” Miu cried, outraged. “I’ll have you know that I shower every three days! And I wash between my legs every morning to keep myself fresh down there."

“Oookay, let’s get back to the trial; I've heard too much.” Rantaro winced, clearly uncomfortable. “So, we need to know where everyone was between 8 and 8:25.”

“Well, we all got up at 8 a.m, so this should be fairly straightforward,” Tenko said.

"When we got up, Kirumi had left us a note, asking us to stay away from the dining hall until she came and got us," Tsumugi recapped. "Kaede suggested that we all wait by the picnic benches, so Kirumi could easily find us, but this never happened." 

"Oh right, we were talking about this earlier, Shuichi!" Kaito exclaimed, thinking back to their conversation in the dining hall. "We split people up into three different groups according to their actions!"

“Yes, that’s right," Shuichi nodded. "Some people waited by the benches, as Kaede had suggested. Some waited for a bit, but left. And some people didn't wait at all."

"Those are the three groups," Kaito added, for anyone who hadn't followed. 

"We need to look at each group then," Ryoma said. 

"Indeed," Korekiyo nodded. "That will be a simple way to talk through the alibis." 

“I think we should start by looking at the group who stayed outside the dormitories the entire time,” Rantaro suggested. “I was a part of this group, and we didn’t move until Kokichi and Himiko came to get us and led us to the dining hall.”

“We all have airtight alibis!” Kaito declared, looking exceptionally pleased that he could already be considered innocent. “Go on Shuichi, tell ‘em who stayed.”

Shuichi didn’t particularly like being bossed around by Kaito, but he obliged anyway for the sake of the trial. “Myself, Rantaro, Kaede, Kaito, Angie, and Tsumugi stayed outside the entire time. We can all account for each other, because no one left.”

"Six people can already be ruled as innocent, that's pretty helpful," Keebo said. 

"It is, so let's move onto the next group," Rantaro said. "Those who waited for a bit, but left." 

“Now, this is where it begins to get confusing,” Kaito admitted. “These people came and went, meaning they were unaccounted for at some point between 8 and 8:25.”

“Those people are Tenko, Gonta, Kokichi, and Miu,” Shuichi said, having witnessed them all leave himself.

“And then there are those who didn’t stay at all,” Kaito added. “This group of people is made up of Himiko, Maki, Ryoma, Keebo, and Korekiyo.”  
  
“There really are a lot of people who can’t be accounted for.” Tsumugi gasped in surprise. “I hope you all have alibis.”

"I stayed for a bit, so I kind of have an alibi," Tenko said. "Plus I came back." 

“Nobody kept a note of what time people left or returned, so anyone who disappeared this morning is a suspect,” Rantaro said.

“So...how are we gonna do this?” Ryoma asked. "We've got a lot of alibis to get through." 

Shuichi offered a simple suggestion. "Why don't we go around the group and everyone who wasn't present this morning can explain what they were doing? It might be a little time consuming, but we have to get the facts straight."

“Nyeh, I can’t be bothered.” Himiko huffed. "Can't the blackened just confess already?" 

“Gonta is innocent!” Gonta said, as he quickly jumped to his own defence. “Gonta was looking for bugs on the grass.”  
  
Shuichi remembered and could vouch for the Entomologist. “Gonta was down on the grass, near the Shrine of Judgement. We could see him the entire time.”

“If anything, Gonta moved further away from the dining hall,” Kaede said. "If he tried to leave, we would have seen him." 

"Gonta is definitely innocent." Tsumugi agreed.  
  
Gonta broke into a smile, overjoyed that his name had been cleared. “Gonta told you he innocent!” 

“I too can prove my innocence,” Korekiyo said. “As you should remember, I went straight to my dorm room and remained there until the body discovery announcement. I couldn’t have killed Kirumi, because if I went to the dining hall, those who stayed behind at the benches would have seen me.”

“That’s true.” Rantaro nodded. "So you've got a solid alibi too."

Shuichi had spoken to Korekiyo during the investigation. Apparently, the Anthropologist had spent his time in the shower, which struck Shuichi as strange, given their current circumstances. "You were having a shower, right?" 

"That is correct," Korekiyo replied. "I was having a long, blissful shower."

“Pfft, what bullshit!” Miu called out. “Monokuma's tampered with the showers. They’re either really fuckin’ hot or really fuckin’ cold, so you're clearly lying.”

Her suspicions were the same as Shuichi's. 

“When I got into my shower, icicles formed on my nose.” Himiko shivered. “But maybe that was just my magic…”

“Himiko!” Tenko cried. “Let me get you a hot chocolate and a blanket. I can give you a big warm hug too.”

Himiko wasn't interested. "No thanks..."

“But Himiko,” Tenko protested. "You must stay warm!" 

“Uh, Tenko…” Kaede pointed out kindly. “We’re in the middle of a trial, I don’t think you can leave to make hot chocolate.”

“Can we get back to Korekiyo?!” Miu exclaimed. “The fuckin’ creepy slimeball is gettin’ away with more shit by the second.”

“It is true that Monokuma has tampered with the showers,” Korekiyo admitted. “But there is something that you don’t know about me; I always shower in the coldest setting that I can.”

"You really expect us to believe that, degenerate?" Tenko frowned. 

“It reminds me of a simpler time,” Korekiyo shared. “In many of my favourite anthropological tales, showers are yet to have been invented, so people had to make do with any water that they could. I enjoy nothing more than a cold shower, as it helps me imagine myself in the past.”

Shuichi was accepting of his answer, because it was exactly the kind of thing Korekiyo would do. He no longer had any concerns about his classmate. 

“What a freak!” Kokichi heckled.

"How do we know that you're telling the truth?" Maki said. "We don't know who's shower is cold and who's shower is hot. It's completely random. Yours could be hot and you're just lying to us." 

“That is true and his story is rather strange,” Rantaro agreed. “But Korekyio's alibi is solid. He stayed in the dormitories whilst the rest of us went outside."

“We definitely would have seen him if he left for the dining hall,” Kaede said. “There’s only one door to the dormitories and we were facing it.”

"So he's innocent?!" Tenko exclaimed, in utter disbelief. "But he can't be! He's so creepy! Has everyone forgotten the way he talked about Kirumi's body?"

"Even though you may find Korekiyo creepy, he has an alibi," Shuichi pointed out. 

"Of course Pooichi is defending the creep!" Miu scoffed. "The pervs have to stick together." 

Shuichi sighed, fed up of Miu's constant insults. "Korekiyo was in the dormitories the entire time. He couldn't have left, because we would have seen him. I'm just stating the facts."

"Let's just move on," Rantaro suggested calmly. "Who wants to share their alibi next?" 

“I’ll tell you now, I don’t have a solid alibi, as no one can account for my whereabouts,” Ryoma said, honestly. “But I’m telling you the truth when I say that I was in the games room this morning.”

“What were you doing in there?” Kaede asked.

"I wanted some space and it was empty," Ryoma replied. "Not being able to sleep has given me the worst headache, so I needed some peace."  

“Wow, Ryoma sure must be in a lot of pain right now!” Monotaro said.  
  
“Would you like some medicine?” Monophanie offered.  
  
Shuichi shuddered. He couldn’t think of anything worse than taking medicine from the Monokubs; he didn’t trust them at all. Thankfully, Ryoma shared the same opinion.   
  
“I’ll pass.” Ryoma turned them down.  
  
“I suppose our medicine does have some side effects…” Monophanie confessed.  
  
“Youse might turn blind,” Monosuke revealed.

“Or, your eyes will just pop right out of your head!” Monokid claimed, grinning at the thought of something so brutal.  
  
“Ahh, that’s too gory to even think about.” Monophanie cried.

"Actually, Ryoma, I've been meaning to ask you something," Shuichi said, taking advantage of the opportunity.

"Yeah?" Ryoma replied.

"Where were you during the investigation?" Shuichi asked. "You were the only person I didn't come across."

"I was down the manhole cover in the boiler room," Ryoma revealed, without any signs of hesitation.

His response seemed genuine, but Shuichi wanted to know more. "What were you doing down there?"

"I was looking for evidence," Ryoma shared. "I thought the killer might've disposed of some stuff; it seems like a good hiding place. I didn't find anything though."

Shuichi had no further questions. Ryoma's answers seemed genuine.

Keebo spoke up. "Why don't I tell you what I was doing this morning? Like Ryoma, I was alone-"

"Geez everyone is so fuckin’ shady.” Miu remarked.

"Miu, weren't you by yourself too?" Tsumugi objected.  
  
“Shut it, you anime slut.” Miu hissed.

“Where were you, Keebo?” Shuichi asked, returning to his alibi.

“I was in my dorm room,” Keebo responded. “I don’t need sleep like you do, but every so often I must recharge my system. It’s a rather...private moment, so I returned to my room and plugged myself into a socket.”

“Hahahaha.” Kokichi threw back his head and roared with laughter. “How I wish I’d been there to witness that!”

"Your alibi is secure too then," Rantaro said. "Who's next?"

Maki spoke up. "I don't have an alibi that can be accounted for, as I was alone. But I was in the library, which I have already mentioned to Shuichi."

"What were you doing in the library?" Kaede asked.

"I wanted to be alone and the library was empty," Maki explained.  
  
“Keehee, how suspicious.” Korekiyo gave a rather haunting laugh. “Why would Maki want to be alone?”  
  
“Being alone isn’t a crime.” Maki scowled, her eyes murderous.  
  
Korekiyo raised his brow. “But at the time of the murder?”

“How was I supposed to know that a murder was going to occur?” Maki retorted. “Are we supposed to stay in pairs for twenty-four hours a day just to ensure that we always have an alibi?!”

“That would be a bit ridiculous.” Kaito laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
“I was alone and it just so happened that Kirumi was murdered during that time,” Maki said. “If you begin accusing people of being guilty, solely because their alibi can’t be accounted for, then you’re all going to get yourselves killed.”

"Someone seems a bit touchy..." Kokichi muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Maki to hear. 

“We aren’t accusing you, Maki,” Shuichi reassured her. “We're just trying to hear everyone’s stories.”  
  
Maki didn’t say any more, she just scowled.

“I’ll tell my story next," Tenko volunteered. “I got worried when Himiko headed into the school building by herself, cuz there are so many criminal, degenerate males around this place!"  
  
“You’re a criminal too.” Kokichi reminded her.

“Shut it!” Tenko snapped. “Anyway, Himiko said she was going to a classroom, so I checked classroom C first, but Himiko wasn’t there. I tried A and B too, but they were both empty. So that’s when I came back to the benches.”

“Is that not a little strange, hmm?” Angie eyed Tenko up in suspicion. “I thought you would do anything to protect Himiko. Why did you give up your search after the three classrooms? You could have looked elsewhere.”

“Of course I would do anything to protect Himiko!” Tenko raised her voice, beginning to shout. “But...but I’m so tired and I haven’t slept properly in days, so I wasn’t thinking straight. I wanted to see if she’d returned to the benches. I didn't think to check anywhere else in the school first.”

"In the time that Tenko was missing, she could have easily gone to the dining hall and poisoned Kirumi," Korekiyo said, planting a theory. 

"How dare you suggest something like that!" Tenko cried in outrage. "I would never hurt another girl."

"Who knows," Kokichi shrugged. "Maybe you've just been pretending to hate men so that you could kill a girl and get away with it. Your friendship with Himiko is one big act."

"Speaking of Himiko, maybe we should look at her alibi," Angie suggested. "She wasn't in a classroom like she said she'd be. Atua thinks this is highly suspicious!"

“Nyeh…” as soon as her name was mentioned, beads of sweat began forming on Himiko’s face.

“What’s your story?” Kaito asked.  
  
“I...I was in the warehouse.” Himiko said. She seemed especially nervous to be talking; her entire body trembling.

“The warehouse is opposite the dining hall," Korekiyo pointed out. "It's the room closest to the crime scene..."   
  
“Himiko, you told us this morning that you were going to a classroom to practise your magic,” Angie said. “Did something change? Hmm.”

“I went to classroom C to practise my magic, but the energy wasn’t right,” Himiko explained, her hands shaking. “So I went to the warehouse, because I thought some of the items in there could assist with my magic."

It was the same story she'd told Shuichi, but whether it was true or not...he didn't know.

“She’s really shaking!" Tsumugi remarked.

"It's because you're all attacking her!" Tenko exclaimed. "Leave her alone."

"We have to interrogate her, it's part of the trial." Kaito said.   
  
“Can anyone account for your story, Himiko?” Kaede asked, attempting to find a solution.  
  
“Y-yes, Kokichi can.” Himiko looked straight to him. “He came into the warehouse when I was there.”

Kokichi said nothing, his stare vacant.  
  
“Kokichi?” Rantaro prompted. “Are you gonna respond to that?”  
  
Kokichi remained silent.

“Oi, Kokichi!” Miu raised her voice. “We’re fuckin’ waitin’.”  
  
Kokichi didn’t so much as blink.  
  
“Maybe he’s paralysed?” Tsumugi whispered.   
  
“Oh, sorry, were you talking to me?” Kokichi said, suddenly tuning in to their conversation. “I wasn’t listening.”  
  
“I’m pretty sure you were…” Kaito said, sceptically.  
  
“You’re right, I was lying nee-heehee.” Kokichi laughed. “I was trying to psych you all out.”

“Stupid degenerate!” Tenko scorned. “Himiko is waiting for you to back up her statement! Stop wasting time." 

"Nope! Sorry! I'm no help there!" Kokichi exclaimed. "I wasn't with Himiko in the warehouse."

Tenko glared at him. “But she said you were there.” 

“Looks like you’ve fallen hook, line, and sinker for her lie.” Kokichi said.

“I’m not lying,” Himiko insisted. “You came to the warehouse and bothered me.”

“Nope, that never happened.” Kokichi continued to deny her story. “I’ll swear on the bible if you want me to.”

"Stop lying, Kokichi!" Tenko argued. "We all saw you with Himiko this morning. The two of you told us to go to the dining hall; you'd found Kirumi's body together. Explain that!"

"Well yeah, I saw Himiko this morning, but we hadn't been together in the warehouse," Kokichi replied, calmly. 

“If you weren’t with Himiko in the warehouse, then what _were_ you doing?” Kaede asked.

“I was in your lab, actually,” Kokichi said cheerfully. “I thought I’d have some fun, so I was mixing up all your CDs so they’re now in the wrong cases!”

"That's a lie!" Himiko insisted.

"No, it's not." Kokichi retorted. "Kaede, go and check the CDs in your lab if you don't believe me."

"You're only saying that because you know we aren't allowed to leave." Tenko protested, defending her friend. "You're trying to blame Himiko!" 

"I have to admit, Kokichi, you've not made it very easy to believe you," Rantaro said. "When Shuichi and I asked for your alibi earlier, you wouldn't tell us."

"He purposely waited to hear everyone else's alibis so he could meddle!" Tenko exclaimed. "We can't believe him."

"I told you, I had amnesia earlier." Kokichi sighed. "It's really hurtful, and pretty offensive, that you won't accept my condition. No one ever takes me seriously..." his bottom lip started to wobble, his eyes filling up with tears. 

"Kokichi don't cry!" Gonta gasped. "Gonta believe you." 

Shuichi began to wonder if Kokichi really was telling the truth; the tears in his eyes seemed so genuine. Had he poorly misjudged him or was Kokichi's lying  _this_ good?

"I wish I could show you the CDs, Kaede," Kokichi went on. "If you're looking for your copy of  _The Blue Notebooks_ by  _Max Richter,_ then you'll have to look inside the case for  _The Mozart Collection_. Oh, and if you wanna find  _The Mozart Collection_ , I put it inside  _Masters of Puppets_ by  _Metallica_. I really mixed those two up!"

Kaede let out a loud gasp. "H-how, how did you know?"

"What are you talking about?" Rantaro asked.

"The name of those CDs... _The Blue Notebooks, The Mozart Collection..._ I...I didn't think that was something Kokichi would know." Kaede explained.

"I know their names because I was in your lab mixing up your CDs." Kokichi said.

"I...I think he's telling the truth..." Kaede said. "I didn't believe Kokichi until now, but there is no way that he would know the names of those CDs. He must've been in my lab."

"So Himiko was lying..." Angie gasped. "What a shocking revelation indeed! Even Atua is surprised." 

"Kokichi, if this is true, then explain how you and Himiko found Kirumi's body together," Tenko pressed. 

"I did see Himiko, but it wasn't until after I'd left Kaede's lab," Kokichi shared. "She was hanging around by the toilets. As soon as she saw me, she said that I needed to come to the dining hall immediately, as she'd made a horrible discovery."

"Don't listen to him!" Tenko complained. "He's feeding you lies; that never happened."

"How can you say that?" Korekiyo retorted. "You weren't there."

"I didn't need to be there, I  _know_ Himiko didn't do it!" Tenko shouted, her passion getting the better of her.

"Are you implying that you're psychic now, Tenko?" Korekiyo quipped.

"N-no, I just know!" Tenko cried. "Why does no one else believe Himiko?"

"I suppose it would be a bit strange for Himiko to lie about her alibi," Tsumugi thought aloud. "Surely she would know that she’s going to get caught out." 

"I suspect that why's Himiko chose Kokichi for her alibi," Korekiyo theorised. "He's always lying, so she probably presumed that everyone would believe her over him if she said they were together." 

"Wow Himiko, that's really harsh of you to do that," Kokichi pouted. "I thought we were friends!"

"We're not friends..." Himiko shook her head. "A friend wouldn't lie like this..."

"The only liar here is you." Kokichi said.

"Stop it!" Tenko cried. "Can't you see? He's manipulating all of you. Kokichi was with Himiko in the warehouse."

"Tenko, you were not present, so you cannot defend Himiko's alibi," Korekiyo said. "That is simply ridiculous."

"If Himiko wishes to defend herself, she needs to fight her own battle," Maki remarked.

"Fine, even if no one here believes Himiko's alibi, it doesn't mean she's guilty," Tenko went on, refusing to back down. "Monophanie told me and Kaede that the school stocks twenty-five bottles of Monoblast at a time. Even though Himiko was in the warehouse, someone else could've gotten their hands on it. Maybe they took it a few days ago!"

"Sorry, but that's wrong." Shuichi disagreed, shooting down Tenko's claim. "Nobody knew about the tea or the recipe book until yesterday, when we were in the library. The killer couldn't have prepared the poison a few days ago, because Kirumi hadn't agreed to make the tea yet." 

"Okay fine, maybe the killer didn't take the bottle a few days ago, but they still could've taken it last night!" Tenko's ranted, her frustration only growing. "The warehouse is permanently unlocked, so they must've taken it whilst everyone was sleeping." 

"I...I can't prove whether that is true or not," Shuichi admitted. "But we have no proof that Himiko is innocent either. She was in the room closest to the crime scene, where the poison was originally located. If it is just a coincidence, then it's a rather unfortunate one."

"But if Himiko was the killer, then surely she'd lie about being in the warehouse," Tenko argued. "She'd be doing everything she could to hide her connections to the crime."

"I don't know that she would," Rantaro disagreed. "If Himiko was in the warehouse, but decided to lie about her whereabouts, she'd be in a very difficult position. She runs the risk of exposing herself. Imagine if she says she was in the library, well we now know that Maki was in there, so she'd easily be caught out. She couldn't lie and say she was in her dorm room, because we would've seen her."

"Creating a false alibi is rather difficult to do with so many of us about," Korekiyo said. "It's far too easy to get caught out lying. Instead, Himiko thought she'd have a better chance pretending that Kokichi was with her." 

"If Himiko did kill Kirumi, then I wonder why..." Tsumugi pondered. "Kirumi was so kind. Who would want to hurt her?"

"It probably wasn't anything personal," Ryoma said. "I think Himiko just wanted the motive to end."

"Himiko was struggling badly with motive; we all know how much she likes to sleep." Keebo agreed.

"Kirumi was probably just an easy target, and the opportunity presented itself," Kaito added.

"This isn't fair!" Himiko complained. "I'm not guilty. I would never hurt Kirumi just to sleep."

"Himiko, you spent the entire investigation sleeping," Rantaro pointed out. "This isn't exactly playing in your favour..."

"Ah that's true," Shuichi reflected. "Instead of helping with the case, you were more interested in finding out whether you could nap."

"I have no energy." Himiko protested.

"No one here has any energy, but we've had to put that aside for Kirumi's sake, and our own," Shuichi said.

"Things aren't looking good for Himiko right now..." Angie narrated. 

"I have more proof that Himiko isn't the killer," Tenko persisted, refusing to back down. "This isn't over yet!"

"Nyeh, this is so tiring." Himiko sighed, her shoulders drooping.

"Don't worry, Himiko!" Tenko reassured her. "I won't stop fighting for you."

"What's your next argument then?" Korekiyo asked. "Do share; I'm intrigued."

"If you really think that Himiko is the blackened, then can you explain where all the Monoblast went?" Tenko asked. "All twenty-five bottles have disappeared. There's none left in the warehouse and none was found at the crime scene."

"That's a mystery in itself," Rantaro murmured. "The poison is nowhere to be found." 

"The answer is obvious," Korekiyo said matter-of-factly. "Himiko disposed of all the bottles."

"But where?" Tenko debated. "And why would she dispose of all twenty-five bottles?"

"This gorgeous girl genius can answer that question!" Miu exclaimed, oozing with confidence. "Himiko used all twenty-five bottles of Monoblast to kill Kirumi."

"I doubt that's what happened," Kaede disagreed, voicing her opinion. "We already know that one drop of Monoblast is enough to kill someone. The killer wouldn't have needed one full bottle, let alone twenty-five."

"Were you dropped as a baby?!" Miu snapped. "Monokuma only _just_ told us that information! The killer wouldn't have known how much poison was needed."

"Maybe not," Kaede said. "But even if the killer didn't know how much poison to use, they surely wouldn't have taken twenty-five bottles to the dining hall. That's too much for anyone to carry." 

"If Himiko is responsible for the missing bottles, I don't think it's because she used them all," Maki said. "I believe she would have wanted to hide the Monoblast, in an attempt to deny its existence."

"How come?" Kaito asked. "It's just a cleaning product. No one would've gotten suspicious seeing it in the warehouse." 

"The killer wanted to hide the poison, to stop us from solving the case," Maki replied. "If we couldn't find the poison, we wouldn't be able to confirm how Kirumi died. This is when the killer would have taken advantage and tried to convince us that another murder method was used; framing someone else for the crime in the process."

"We only discovered that Kirumi was poisoned by a cleaning product because of Keebo's system," Korekiyo said. "Without that, we would have been none the wiser."

"The killer probably didn't know about my analytics system," Keebo said. "I've never had a reason to mention it until now."

Maki nodded. "By hiding all of the poison, the killer probably presumed that they'd get away with the crime."

"Maki's right..." Kaede said. "We only learnt about the Monoblast because Keebo told us to look for a cleaning product. When we couldn't find any in the warehouse, we asked Monophanie, who told us everything."

"I guess the killer wasn't expecting Monophanie to snitch!" Kaito exclaimed. 

Shuichi had been listening eagerly, in agreement with Maki's theory; it was a relief not to be the only one putting them together. "I reckon Maki has hit the nail on the head there. The killer didn't expect us to find out about the Monoblast. " 

"You've still not answered my original question," Tenko scowled. "Where could Himiko have hidden the poison? It wasn't at the crime scene or in the warehouse."

"What if Himiko take them to her room?" Gonta suggested. "No one would find them."

"Sorry Gonta, but that's not possible," Shuichi shook his head. "If Himiko had taken the poison to her room, we would have seen her. If you remember, there were six of us waiting by the benches."

"Oh, Gonta make mistake!" Gonta gasped. "Gonta apologise."

"Are you guys 100% certain that there wasn't any Monoblast in the warehouse?" Ryoma asked.

"Why don't degenerates listen?" Tenko complained. "I've already mentioned this! There wasn't any Monoblast in the warehouse; it was out of stock."

"I know it was out of stock, but what does that mean?" Ryoma asked, crossing his arms. "Was the Monoblast missing from its usual shelf, or missing from the warehouse altogether?" 

"Kubs, do you wanna answer that?" Rantaro asked, turning to the five, not so furry, bears.

"We don't have time to go chasin' products around," Monosuke said, in response. "If an item ain't in its proper place, it's considered out of stock." 

"You don't have the time?" Rantaro repeated. "What do you actually do all day besides annoying us?"

"I think they're just lazy," Angie said. 

"So, the Monoblast could've been in the warehouse, just not in its usual spot?" Shuichi clarified.

"Yup," Monkid nodded. "It might've been in there, but it ain't our job to look for your shit." 

"That means Himiko could have hidden the Monoblast elsewhere in the warehouse," Rantaro concluded. "There are so many shelves, it's unlikely anyone would find it." 

"Yeah, the warehouse is huge," Kaito agreed. "That can't have been hard." 

"You're just finding any reason you can to blame Himiko!" Tenko folded her arms in annoyance. "What do you all have against her?!"

"This isn't a personal attack, Tenko," Rantaro said calmly. "We're trying to solve Kirumi's murder using the evidence we have." 

"Well you're all accusing the wrong person," Tenko persisted. "Himiko never cleans! She wouldn't know anything about Monoblast."

"We've already discussed this," Miu pointed out. "The killer didn't need prior cleaning knowledge." 

"Your defence is getting pretty pathetic now," Kokichi scorned. "I wouldn't hire you as my lawyer, that's for sure." 

"Tenko's just repeating herself, so maybe we've covered everything that we need to," Korekiyo said. "Can we piece this murder together from start to finish? If we can, I believe we have solved this case."

"Atua wants to do it!" Angie said excitedly. "He thinks that Himiko decided to kill Kirumi because she's tired of the motive and wants to sleep. An opportunity presented itself when Kirumi decided to make us tea. On the morning of the murder, Himiko took some Monoblast from the warehouse and hid the rest. When Kirumi wasn't looking, she planted the poison in the tea. Case solved!"

Shuichi listened to Angie with keen interest. Her theory was plausible, but it still left many questions unanswered. Why were Kirumi's arms bruised? How did Himiko plant the poison without getting caught? It all seemed a bit rushed. 

"So...do we vote now?" Tsumugi asked uncertainly, looking to her classmates for guidance. 

"We can't vote yet!" Tenko shouted, her desperation more apparent.  

"But we solve murder." Gonta said softly.

"You have to wait," Tenko pleaded, changing her tactic. "We haven't even finished with the alibis yet. How can we vote when we haven't heard from everyone?"

"Why are you bein' so damn defensive?" Miu asked scornfully. "It's not like you're bein' accused of murder."

"I have been wondering that myself," Korekiyo said. "Himiko has barely spoken."

"Himiko is my friend and I know that she's innocent," Tenko replied. 

"Friend?" Kokichi muttered. "I don't think Himiko feels the same; she does everything to avoid you."

"I don't care what you think," Tenko shook her head. "I'm going to keep defending Himiko because I know she's innocent. We can't vote for her!" 

"I don't think we should vote yet either," Shuichi voiced his opinion. "Although this theory sounds plausible, we still have many unanswered questions."

"It's not like we're running out of time, so we might as well finish the alibis," Rantaro nodded, attempting to calm Tenko down. 

"There's only one person who hasn't given their alibi yet," Shuichi said. 

All eyes in the courtroom turned to Miu.

“What are you staring at?” Miu snapped, instantly defensive. “Are my nipples sticking out? Bunch of pervs!”

Turning red a little, Shuichi shook his head. “N-no, Miu. We want to know what you were doing this morning. You're the only person who hasn't given their alibi."

"You waited with us at the benches for a bit, but soon left." Kaede recapped. 

“Shuichi and I tried asking Miu for her alibi during the investigation, but she wouldn’t tell us anything,” Rantaro reported, already suspicious of the Inventor.

“I-I don’t tell my secrets to fugly fuckboys like you.” Miu barked, attempting to justify herself.

“Well, there has to be someone in this room that you don’t consider ‘fugly’.” Rantaro said, quoting Miu. “Tell them.”

“Nope.” Miu brushed him off. “Everyone is fugly compared to this gorgeous girl genius.”  
  
Maki wasn’t having any of Miu’s games. “You need to talk. We can't vote on this class trial until we've heard your alibi.”  
  
“Well use your shitty little pea brains to solve this case then!” Miu said rudely. “It ain’t me who did this.”  
  
“Miu!” Kaito exclaimed in frustration. “Just tell us where you were. Our lives depend on this.”  
  
“A-ah please don't shout.” Miu crumbled instantly, as her bravado disappeared. “I’ll tell you where I was.”

“We’re waiting,” Kokichi demanded, drumming his foot impatiently.

"F-fine!" Miu sighed, ready to finally reveal the truth. "I...I was in my lab."   
  
“Oh, that’s right. You were!” Shuichi exclaimed, his memory having escaped him. He'd seen Miu leave for her lab with his own two eyes. Caught up in the investigation, it had completely slipped his mind. He felt irritated with himself for not remembering sooner, as it would have saved a lot of hassle. 

"Miu's lab is at the bottom of the grass, near the Shrine of Judgement," Keebo said. "Those who waited at the benches would have seen her if she tried to leave for the dining hall."

"So, she's innocent..." Tsumugi concluded. 

"SEE!" Miu exclaimed aggressively. "Told ya." 

"Well then, with Miu's name cleared, it looks like we can proceed to the vote," Korekiyo said. "Himiko is our blackened."

"Wait, hang on a minute..." Shuichi frowned. He wasn't ready to move on yet. "I'm not done talking to Miu..."

"What is it now, Pooichi?" Miu rolled her eyes, clearly irritated. "You've heard my alibi."

"Yes, you have an alibi, an airtight one, in fact," Shuichi said. "So why are you being so defensive?"

"I..." caught off guard, Miu stuttered. "W-what do you care? You don't need to know! I'm innocent." 

"But for someone who's innocent, you're being very secretive," Shuichi went on. "It doesn't make sense..."

"That's true," Kaede agreed. "Miu, we had to pester you for your alibi. Why didn't you just tell us you were in your lab?"

"Are you hiding something?" Angie asked. "Don't lie, because Atua will know."

Miu brushed them off. "It doesn't matter." 

"I...I think it does," Shuichi disagreed, standing his ground. He didn't want to get into an argument, especially with Miu, but her defensive behaviour bothered him. 

"You know I'm innocent." Miu retorted. "Stop wasting time, Pooichi."

"Miu, if you're innocent, then surely you won't mind telling us what you were doing in your lab," Kaede said persuasively.

"F-fine," Miu huffed. "If it'll get you off my case, I'll tell you. I was making a new invention."

"Thank you," Kaede said.

"Happy now?" Miu sulked.

"Sorry, I'm not," Shuichi said, still unsatisfied. "I'd still like to know more. What sort of invention were you making?" for all he knew, it could be related to the crime. 

Miu muttered something under her breath, but she was too quiet to be heard.

"S-sorry, could you speak a little louder, please?" Shuichi asked politely. 

Miu repeated her comment, but once again, she was so quiet that nobody heard her.

"Miu," Shuichi sighed, aware that she was doing this on purpose. "Please, can you tell us."

Miu snapped. "I was making the anti-poosplosion device. Okay?!"

"Anti-poosplosion device?" Kaede repeated. 

"Let me guess, it's related to the poosplosion device you told us about yesterday..." Rantaro said. "You point it at someone and it gives them instant diarrhoea."

"The anti-poosplosion device does the opposite; it instantly cures diarrhoea," Miu shared. 

"That's a medical miracle!" Tsumugi gasped in awe.

"Why were you being so secretive about it?" Kaede asked. "Did you think someone was going to steal your idea?!"

"None of you fuckwits are smart enough to copy my ideas," Miu scoffed. "Even if I gave you the blueprints you'd be useless!"

"Okay, so you were being secretive because?..." Kaito prompted, waiting for an answer.

"Cuz I was making the device for myself, okay?!" Miu admitted through gritted teeth. 

Tsumugi pieced together what she'd been told. "You...you had diarrhoea?" 

"Look, last night I took my poosplosion device from my lab to my room, cuz I was planning on using it on Kokichi," Miu revealed. 

"What have I done?" Kokichi complained.

"You deserve it," Miu glared at him. "Anyway, I left the poosplosion device in my room, as I planned on using it on Kokichi when we drank Kirumi's tea. After the 2 a.m fire alarm, when I went back to my room, it was really fuckin' dark, and I was too tired to notice where I was going. I tripped up and grabbed the closest thing to me - the handle of my poosplosion device. It was pointed at me and so..." she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"And so, you gave yourself instant diarrhoea!" Kokichi concluded. "Nee-hee, teaches you right for trying to prank me." 

Miu shot him a death glare. "It was really fuckin' painful; it's not funny." 

"So that's why you were making the anti-poosplosion device the morning?" Shuichi asked. 

"Yeah..." Miu admitted. "I'm okay now cuz Monophanie brought me some medicine last night. But I wanted to make a curable device, in case I ever accidentally do that again." 

"So that's why you didn't wanna confess your alibi," Kaito grinned. "You're embarrassed." 

Miu's face turned a fascinating shade of scarlet. "You don't have to be so obvious about it!" 

"You made your own life hard," Kaito shrugged. "If you'd have just told us you were in your lab, working on inventions, nobody would have questioned you any further. It's cuz you were actin' shady. " 

"At least we now know to avoid Miu's bathroom like the plague," Kokichi smirked. 

“I wouldn’t let you use my bathroom anyway, asshat!” Miu spat.

“Don’t worry, Miu.” Monophanie chirped, joining in. “We’re still working hard to get you some Monoblast to clean your toilet. Once the new order comes in, it'll be all fresh again.” 

Shuichi’s eager ears picked it up straight away. “What was that?” 

“Last night, I was watching the live security footage and saw that Miu was struggling in her bathroom with tummy problems," Monophanie explained. "I brought her some medicine and told her all about Daddy's Monoblast, as it would clean up her bathroom and get rid of the bad odour. I went to the warehouse to find her some, but it was completely out of stock. But don't worry, I've placed an order for a new delivery so she'll be getting it soon!" 

“Monophanie shut up!” Monosuke glared. “You’re sayin' too much!”

"You're ruining the trial!" Monokid snapped. To stop his sister from talking any further, he thrust his fist into her mouth.

"I-" Monophanie tried to continue, but it was useless; with the fist in her mouth, her words were unintelligible. 

“So this means that Miu knew about the Monoblast!” Kaito exclaimed.

"That isn't what's important from Monophanie's statement," Kaede said. "According to Monophanie, the Monoblast was already out of stock during the night." 

“I noticed that part too,” Maki said. “If the Monoblast was out of stock during the night, that changes everything.”

“It does?” Angie blinked.

“Yes,” Maki nodded. “It means the Monoblast had to be taken, and the remaining bottles hidden, last night, not this morning.”

“Miu, do you remember what time Monophanie visited you?” Kaede asked.

Miu shrugged. “I dunno, it sometime after the 2 a.m. fire alarm, but before the 4 a.m. one. She had to get me the medicine fast, cuz I wouldn't have been able to go outside for the fire drill otherwise; my ass was glued to the toilet."

"We don't need to know the details." Keebo winced.  

"Even though we don't have a specific time, we can say for certain that the Monoblast was out of stock by 4 a.m," Kaede concluded. 

“This means none of the alibis matter anymore!” Tenko exclaimed. “You can stop blaming Himiko now!” relief washed over her. 

“Not really,” Rantaro disagreed. “The blackened might've taken the poison last night, but they still would have planted it this morning. The alibis stand."

"This does change things though," Tenko insisted. “Kokichi, Ryoma, and Maki are all strong suspects again, because none of them have an alibi for this morning. They could’ve poisoned Kirumi without making a trip to the warehouse.”

“The same can also be said for you.” Korekiyo pointed out. “We have no proof that you visited the classrooms.”

"Fine, I'm a suspect too," Tenko said through gritted teeth. "But it's not just about Himiko any more."

"Actually, now would be a good time to mention somebody else of interest," Korekiyo said. "Do you care to share my story, Shuichi?" he turned to face the Detective.

"H-huh?" Shuichi frowned, confused by Korekiyo's request.

"The story that I shared with you during the investigation," Korekiyo reminded him. "Don't you agree that now is a good time to discuss it?"

"Um..." Shuichi hesitated. He didn't understand why Korekiyo couldn't just share it himself. "It's your story, so it's probably best that you tell it." he didn't want to get any of the details wrong. 

"Okay, I shall," Korekiyo said. "Due to our terrible conditions, I found myself struggling to sleep last night. I decided to go outside and get some fresh air to make myself feel better. I stepped outside of the dormitories, only to find that I wasn't alone. To my surprise, Kaito was pacing around on the grass. He seemed distressed about something."

The courtroom fell silent. 

"I should probably add," Korekiyo continued. "That this happened between 12 and 2 a.m." 

"Although that does sound strange, I'm not sure that we need to discuss Kaito's behaviour," Keebo said. "After all, he has an alibi for the time of the murder." 

"That's right, he was with us by the benches," Kaede said. 

"Kaito does have an alibi, but I think we've overlooked an element of this case," Maki said, her tone serious. 

"What do you mean?" Himiko asked.

"So far, we have two theories," Maki elaborated. "The first: the blackened put the poison in the tea. The second: they put the poison straight in Kirumi's mouth. But, what if neither of these are true? What if the blackened planted the poison in one of the seven ingredients? When Kirumi made the tea, she unknowingly used the poisoned ingredient. The blackened tricked Kirumi into placing the poison in the tea herself." 

"You mean, when the killer snuck into the kitchen, they put the poison in one of the ingredients instead of in the tea?" Tsumugi asked.

"No." Maki said. "I'm suggesting that the killer never even went to the kitchen. All of the ingredients came from the warehouse, so the killer planted the poison there. When Kirumi collected the ingredients, as shown on the schedule Shuichi showed us, she picked up the poisoned one." 

“Hmm, I dunno.” Kaito frowned, scratching his head. “You can’t exactly poison cinnamon with a cleaning spray.”

“Most of the ingredients wouldn’t work,” Shuichi said, considering Maki's theory in great detail. “But, there is one ingredient in the recipe that could be tampered with.” he was strongly onboard with her idea.

"The maple syrup?" Tsumugi suggested.

"No, that would be too sticky to mess with," Shuichi shook his head. 

“It's the lemon juice!” Tenko exclaimed. “Out of the seven ingredients, it’s the only one that comes in a bottle. You could pour Monoblast into the lemon juice and no-one would notice!" 

“Yes, exactly!” Shuichi smiled, pleased that Tenko was following along. 

"Lemon juice comes in a bottle?" Miu scoffed. "Don't be damn stupid, lemon juice comes from lemons." 

"Lemon juice used for cooking comes in a bottle," Kaede explained. 

"I saw a bottle of lemon juice when I was investigating the kitchen," Maki said. "There were no real lemons used." 

"So, you're suggesting that the killer poisoned the bottle of lemon juice instead of the tea itself?" Rantaro recapped. 

"Yes." Maki said.

"I wonder why the blackened went to all that extra effort..." Tsumugi pondered.

"By poisoning the lemon juice instead of the tea, the blackened is able to avoid the crime scene." Maki pointed out. "Kirumi does their dirty work for them." 

"The blackened wouldn't have to worry about getting caught." Kaede agreed.

“That would make sense…” Tsumugi said. “The killer didn’t have to stealthily sneak into the kitchen, because Kirumi put the poison in the tea herself!”

"But what about the bruises on Kirumi's arms?" Angie reminded them. "If the blackened was never at the crime scene, then where did they come from?"

"Actually, I've been thinking about that," Kaede said. “I think it's possible that Kirumi got the bruises because she fell to the floor. She must’ve fallen with some heavy impact, which is enough to do damage.”

"Ah, Kaede, that's brilliant!" Shuichi exclaimed. "Of course! It's no different to when you fall over and bruise your knee. Kirumi got the bruises from collapsing on the hard floor." 

"Atua has a question too," Angie said. "If the killer planted the poison in the lemon juice, then when did they do it? Himiko was in the warehouse this morning." 

"It would have been during the night," Rantaro replied. "Monophanie has already told us that the Monoblast was out of stock by 4 a.m., so it had to be before then." 

"And Kirumi only told us that she was going to make the tea minutes before the nighttime announcement last night," Kaede added. "So it couldn't have been done any sooner." 

"The poison would have been planted sometime between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m," Kaito said. 

"The warehouse doesn't get locked at night, so that works out," Ryoma contributed. 

"I'd rather have the sleep," Himiko muttered. 

"Although, actually, I'm not sure if this theory is possible," Kaede frowned, beginning to doubt herself. "From what I remember, Kirumi took the recipe book to bed with her. I’m just a little confused, as the tea is not a conventional recipe. How would the blackened have known to poison the lemon juice?”

“They wouldn’t have had time to poison every single edible or drinkable ingredient in the warehouse.” Korekiyo agreed.

“Kirumi mentioned a few of the ingredients yesterday, when Shuichi asked her about the recipe,” Rantaro reminded them.

"That's right, she did," Shuichi nodded.

"Until Miu stopped her." Kokichi recapped. 

"It was boring to listen to," Miu argued.

"According to my memory function, Kirumi mentioned three different ingredients last night," Keebo informed them. "Ginger, lemon juice, and peppermint." 

"Well, this supports Maki's theory," Kaito said. "Everyone in the library heard Kirumi mention the lemon juice." 

“It is a good theory,” Angie began. “But Atua has two issues with it.”

Shuichi had a suspicion that it was Angie, rather than Atua, who had the issues.

"Keebo's system detected eight different ingredients in the tea, including the lemon juice, so the killer couldn't have replaced the lemon juice with Monoblast," Angie pointed out. 

"I don't think the killer completely replaced the lemon juice with Monoblast," Tsumugi said rationally. "Otherwise, Kirumi might have gotten suspicious." 

"I reckon the killer got rid of some of the lemon juice and topped up the bottle with Monoblast, but not all of it," Kaito said.

"What happened to the lemon juice they got rid of?" Himiko asked.

"Eh, they probably tipped it away somewhere," Kaito shrugged. "Like in the bathroom or something."

"Angie, what's your other issue?" Tsumugi asked.

"It's Atua's issue, not mine," Angie corrected her. "But, from what you've said, Kirumi would have gone to the warehouse this morning to collect supplies. This is where she got the bottle of poisoned lemon juice. However, the warehouse stocks multiple copies of each item. How did the killer know that Kirumi would choose the poisoned bottle? Is that not a huge risk? Their plan could have failed.”

It was a rational argument to make, so Shuichi could see why Angie was doubtful. "You're right, it was a high risk indeed." he nodded. "However, I think the killer anticipated this, so they planned for the possibility that Kirumi wouldn't choose the poisoned bottle."

"Which is?" Angie asked.

"They poisoned all of the bottles," Shuichi stated.  

"And what lead you to that conclusion?" Angie said, her arms folded. "Atua needs convincing..."

"How would the killer have been able to guess which bottle Kirumi would choose?" Shuichi asked, looking around the group for an answer.

"Luck?" Kaito guessed.

"Psychic intuition?" Korekiyo suggested.

"They wouldn't have been able to guess," Kaede replied.

"Well, unless they used magic..." Himiko said.

"Aren't you the only one around here who can use magic?" Kaito frowned.

Himiko was eager to move on. "Nyeh, Shuichi...carry on explaining..." 

"The killer couldn't have guessed, it's impossible," Shuichi stated. "Kirumi was free to choose any bottle she wanted. Therefore, the killer took the time to poison each bottle, guaranteeing they would succeed." 

"Alone in the warehouse at night, they would've had time," Ryoma said.

"But it depends, how many bottles of lemon juice are there?" Rantaro asked, thinking logically. "If there's fifteen, then sure, but what if there's something like ninety bottles? The killer couldn't have poisoned each one."  

"Monokubs?" Kaito called, turning his attention to the bears.

"Stop treating my children like a search engine," Monokuma scowled. "They're not allowed to speak to you any more." 

"But we need to know-" Tenko protested.

Monokuma didn't let her speak. "You should've made proper use of your investigation time!"

"You hardly gave us any time..." Kaito argued.

"Too bad," Monokuma said bluntly, defiantly folding his arms. 

"If you tell us, I'll let you join my super secret organisation," Kokichi said persuasively.

"I'm not interested," Monokuma said. "I'm more powerful than you'll ever be."

“Well, looks like we’re done for then,” Kokichi said casually. “We’re all going to die, ah what a shame.”

“Kokichi, you can’t give up yet.” Kaede insisted.

“Nope, there’s no point left in trying,” Kokichi said defeatedly. “So since we’re about to die, Monokuma will you play one last game with me?”

“What sort of game?” Monokuma asked sceptically.

“Hmm, how about tag?” Kokichi posed. “No, nevermind, there’s not enough room. Ooo, I know! How about a game of quick fire questions?”

Kaito sighed. “Kokichi, what are you doing?”

Kokichi ignored him. “So what wadda you say, Monokuma? You’ve gotta answer the questions as quickly you can, or you lose.”

“Well since you’re all about to die, I suppose I have time to play one quick game,” Monokuma smirked. “But I won’t lose.”

“Kokichi, stop wastin' our fuckin’ time!” Miu growled.

Kokichi didn’t give in. “Okay, here’s your warm-up question. What’s your name?”

The bear answered in seconds. "Monokuma! Pfft, that was easy."

"That was just your warm-up," Kokichi said. "Round two! What day of the week is it?" 

“Wednesday!” Monokuma answered rapidly.

“Correct,” Kokichi nodded, despite no way of knowing what day of the week it really was. “Okay, next question. Who’s your favourite Monokub?”

“Monotaro,” Monokuma blurted out.

“W-what?” Monophanie cried, completely horrified. “Daddy...is that true?”

“What?” Monokuma shrugged. “Every parent has a favourite.”

“Okay, Monokuma, next question,” Kokichi continued. “How many bottles of lemon juice are there in the warehouse?”  
  
“Twenty!” Monokuma replied straight away, without thinking. “Wait - dammit!” it didn't take him long to realise his mistake.  
  
“Great,” Kokichi smirked. “The game is over now.”

Shuichi looked at Kokichi in awe; there had been a reason to his madness after all. Kokichi was able to get the information out of Monokuma that they so desperately needed. He had really helped the trial.

Monokuma raised his voice in annoyance. “That’s cheating! I can have you punished for that.”

“No you can’t,” Kokichi retorted confidently. “There’s nothing in the rules about cheating. Besides, you freely told me the information.”

"With only twenty bottles of lemon juice, it's certainly possible that the killer poisoned all of them," Kaede concluded. "They would have had more than enough time." 

"I guess you guys know what this means..." Rantaro sighed. "If the killer planted the poison in the lemon juice last night, all of the alibis are out the window..." 

"Ugh you're right," Kaito groaned. "Well, that was a huge waste of time then." 

"This makes me believe Maki's theory even more," Shuichi said. "The killer tried to trick us, making us believe the murder happened this morning, so we only looked at alibis between 8 and 8:25."

"The killer could have busied themselves this morning, so it seemed like they had an alibi!" Kaede gasped, coming to the shocking realisation. 

"The killer almost caught us out..." Korekiyo whispered eerily. "That would have been troublesome." 

"Before we continue, are we certain that the killer poisoned the lemon juice?" Keebo asked. "We don't actually have any proof." 

"It's a shame we don't have any lemon juice for Keebo to try," Tsumugi sighed. "His analytics system would be able to help us." 

"Don't even think of asking me to get you some!" Monokuma growled. "I would have helped you, but since Kokichi tricked me, I won't."

"Even if Kokichi hadn't tricked you, you wouldn't have helped us." Rantaro frowned, calling out Monokuma's lie. 

"What do we do now?" Himiko asked. "How can we test the lemon juice if we don't have any?"

Shuichi wracked his brain, desperate to think up a plan. However, he was unsuccessful. "I...I don't think we can test it. The only way to get our hands on the lemon juice is to leave the trial."

Monokuma bore his teeth, threatening the students. "Leave the trial and I'll punish you." 

"We can't continue without evidence," Tenko pouted.

"We're going to have to," Maki said. "Otherwise, we're never going to solve this case."

"But without evidence, that seems risky..." Kaito said doubtfully. 

"We may not have evidence, but we have logic," Maki reassured him. "We know the killer took the poison in the middle of the night, before 4 a.m. They wouldn't have been able to get into the dining hall, so why would they take it so early if their intention was to put it in the tea? If the killer planted the poison directly in the tea, they would have been forced to do so with Kirumi in the room, which would have been extremely difficult. But, if the killer put the poison in the lemon juice, they can sit back and relax because their work is done."

"And like we said, by planting the poison last night, the killer can ensure that they're not near the dining hall on the morning of the crime," Rantaro pointed out. "Giving themselves an alibi."

"I think the killer put the poison in the lemon juice," Ryoma said. "It makes the most sense." 

"It's a far more logical plan." Korekiyo agreed. 

“Oh, by the way, I guess now is a good time to mention that I was with Himiko in the warehouse this morning.” Kokichi casually admitted. “No biggie or anything.”

“W-what?!” Tenko spluttered.

“Yeahhhh she was telling the truth,” Kokichi revealed. “I was begging her to teach me some magic, when we both heard a loud crashing sound from the dining hall. We didn’t investigate straight away though, because I was more interested in learning magic. I suspect the noise was Kirumi's body crashing to the floor.”

“But...you said you were in my lab," Kaede said weakly. "You named the CDs..." 

“Oh, yeah I messed up your CDs.” Kokichi confessed. “But I did that the other day, not this morning. I just remembered their names.”

“Great…” Kaede spoke through gritted teeth.

"You could've gotten us all killed, Kokichi!" Tenko ranted. "Everyone believed Himiko was the blackened because she had no alibi." 

"I'm surprised how gullible everyone was," Kokichi said. 

"I told you I was telling the truth," Himiko sighed.

"I'm never trusting you again, EVER!" Tenko snapped, as she glared at Kokichi with a look of pure hatred. "Not that I trusted you in the first place." 

“So anyway," Kaito interrupted. "Nobody has an alibi any more. This should be fun.”

“Actually, two people in this room have alibis.” Shuichi corrected him.

“What, really?!” Kaito looked at Shuichi in disbelief. “Who?”

“Ryoma and Maki,” Shuichi stated. “Neither of them were in the library last night, so they wouldn’t have known that Kirumi was going to make the tea. They only would have found out about it when they saw Kirumi’s note in the dorms this morning. By this point, it was already too late.”

“What an interesting turn of events,” Korekiyo remarked. “Maki and Ryoma, who appeared guilty for a lack of alibi, now have their names cleared.”

“That’s rather amusing,” Kokichi agreed. "I'm really enjoying this class trial; it's so much fun."

Monokuma smiled at him. "Then don't forget to give me a five-star rating once the trial is over!" 

"Now that we're aware that our alibis from this morning are useless, I think we should return to the topic of Kaito's nighttime antics," Korekiyo said. "Kaito was pacing outside, around the time the Monoblast was taken." 

"What were you doing last night, Kaito?" Keebo asked.

"I woke up and had a really bad coughing fit, so I went outside for some fresh air." Kaito admitted. 

"What Korekiyo described sounds like more than just a coughing fit," Keebo pointed out.

"Kaito, you were not coughing," Korekiyo shook his head. "You were shaking." 

"Well no, I wasn't coughing the entire time," Kaito argued. "But c'mon, I felt like crap, of course I was gonna be shaken and flustered. I've been feeling rubbish, I think it's because of the shit conditions." 

"That sounds like an excuse to me." Tenko folded her arms. "You don't seem ill." 

It did sound like an excuse, but Shuichi had reason to believe Kaito. He spoke up, coming to the Astronaut's defence. "I think Kaito is telling the truth," he said. "The other night, I went outside for some fresh air, and I found Kaito coughing. It seemed pretty bad." 

"Oh yeah, I forgot you saw that..." Kaito mumbled.

"I can't vouch for why Kaito was outside last night, but I don't think he's lying about being ill," Shuichi said. "It seems to me like he's got a pretty bad cold."

Kaito looked off into the distance. "Yeah..." 

"We don't know the exact time the poison was taken," Kaede said calmly. "It might've been before Kaito even went outside." 

"Korekiyo," Angie said, turning to the Anthropologist. "Atua has a question for you."

"Go on..." Korekiyo prompted her. "I am most intrigued."

"Atua wants to know why you're so desperate to blame Kaito for Kirumi's murder," Angie said cheerily. "Atua has been watching you from the very beginning and thinks you're super suspicious!" 

Korekiyo did not tense; he calmly answered her question. "What I saw last night was very strange, so of course, I wanted to look at Kaito's behaviour in greater detail. Is my answer to Atua's satisfaction?"

"No," Angie said bluntly. "Atua has now concluded that you're the killer, actually."

Gonta gasped. "Why?!" 

"When we were in the library last night, who found the recipe book?" Angie asked, looking around the room. 

"Korekiyo..." Kaede answered.

"And who was it that suggested that exact recipe to Kirumi?" Angie continued.

"Korekiyo..." Kaede answered again.

"Now isn't that interesting!" Angie remarked. 

Shuichi took a moment to think to himself. Korekiyo was responsible for mentioning the book and suggesting that specific recipe to Kirumi. Had he been treating her like his puppet all along?

"If Korekiyo had never shown Kirumi the book, there would be no tea...no murder..." Tsumugi realised.

"This is all Korekiyo's fault!" Tenko exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger in his direction.

"It is true that I found the book and suggested that specific recipe," Korekiyo began. "But that is merely a coincidence. Fourteen of us were present in the library; any one of those people could have decided to take advantage and commit murder."

"Is it a coincidence, though?" Kaito frowned. "I dunno if I believe that. Out of all the books in the library, you just so happened to come across that one?" 

"That is exactly what happened," Korekiyo insisted.

"And then, in the short time span that you were reading the book, you found the 'lethargy to energy' recipe?" Kaito pressed, extremely doubtful.

"I read the contents page and the name of that recipe caught my eye." Korekiyo defended himself.

"I'm not buying this," Rantaro spoke up, shaking his head. "Shuichi, we've got evidence that could really expose Korekiyo."

"W-we have?" Shuichi looked at Rantaro in utter confusion; he couldn't think of anything. 

"You've been filming the library the past couple of days, in an attempt to catch the mole," Rantaro reminded him. "Don't you remember who you kept seeing on camera?" 

"Korekiyo!" Shuichi exclaimed. 

"Exactly." Rantaro said.

"Yes, that's right," Shuichi muttered, trying to process his thoughts. "The footage showed Korekiyo in the library quite a few times." 

"Since when has it been a crime to use the library?" Korekiyo frowned, unimpressed at their accusations.

"It's no crime at all," Rantaro replied. "But it proves that you've been doing a lot of reading. What if you came across the recipe book a few days ago, and it inspired you to create a murderous plan?"

"Rantaro, your allegation is quite ridiculous," Korekiyo argued, his tone sharper than usual. "There are thousands upon thousands of books in the library. It is very unlikely that I found the recipe book a few days ago."

Rantaro shrugged. "Unlikely, but not impossible."

"You were showing up in the library a lot," Shuichi added.

"Yes, because I like to read," Korekiyo retorted. "There are many interesting books here, and it's a good way to pass the time. Additionally, I think you're forgetting why all of this happened in the first place; it's because Kirumi wanted to clean up the library. This was her initial suggestion, not mine. I wouldn't have found the book without her idea."

"You prolly just used Kirumi's idea to plant your stupid book," Miu theorised. 

"If the cleanup never happened, you still could have found a way to give her the recipe book." Maki agreed.

"Could this be the real reason you took a long shower this morning?" Rantaro put forward. "You knew everyone would think the murder took place this morning, so you wanted to give yourself a secure alibi."

"Not at all," Korekiyo denied. "I took a shower because I care about my personal hygiene."

"Y'know, that would explain something else too..." Kaito realised. "It explains why you saw me outside in the middle of the night. You were on your way to the warehouse to poison the lemon juice! But you had to stop because I was outside and could blow your cover. I guess you tried again later."

"Atua has been right, all along!" Angie exclaimed. "Korekiyo killed Kirumi." 

"Are...are we sure about that?" Tsumugi asked uncertainly. "If we get this wrong, we're all going to die." 

"Atua is one million percent sure," Angie reassured her. "All the evidence is there."

"I definitely wouldn't wanna be in Korekiyo's shoes right now!" Kokichi said. 

"So...that's it...?" Kaito said, unsure what to do next. "We're done?"

"Do you want to vote?" Monokuma asked.

"No, not yet," Korekiyo said sternly.

"You don't get a say in this!" Tenko ranted. "Of course you don't want us to vote; we're voting against you."

"I don't want you to vote, because if you do, you're going to get yourselves killed." Korekiyo said, his voice as cold as ice. 

"Trying to scare us now, Kiyo?" Kokichi taunted.

"You can't lie your way out of this one," Miu argued. "We've got all the fuckin' proof we need to send your ass to hell."

"You have no proof, it's all speculation," Korekiyo retorted. "Yes, I have been in the library, but so have many other people. I found the recipe book last night by pure coincidence and suggested it to Kirumi as that specific recipe seemed useful. Someone else took advantage of my suggestion." 

"But you were outside at night..." Gonta said.

"Yes, because I wanted some fresh air." Korekiyo argued, trying his best to remain calm. "That in itself is not a crime." 

"Maybe not, but when you add all of this up..." Rantaro said. 

"He's wasting our fuckin' time," Miu rolled her eyes. "Let's vote already."

"Do you all have a death wish?!" Korekiyo exclaimed. "Because I am not your killer." 

"Then prove it," Maki said. 

"I cannot prove my innocence to you," Korekiyo began. "But I can prove that you're making a terrible, rushed decision. You're trying to end the trial based on speculation, but speculation alone is not enough. Has nobody considered the possibility that Kirumi committed suicide?"

"Suicide?" Tsumugi gasped. "W-would she really do that?"  
  
“What led you to that conclusion?” Keebo asked.  
  
Shuichi was interested to learn this as well.

"Kirumi was the Ultimate Maid, so she knew all about cleaning products, including Monoblast," Korekiyo said. "Poison is a rather reliable method if you wish to kill yourself."

“But _why_ would Kirum commit suicide?” Rantaro asked.  
  
“Because she was depressed, duh doy!” Miu joined in. “She’s been gettin’ no sleep and is sick to death of Monokuma’s motive. You dickwads still expected her to run around pickin’ up after you.”  
  
“You were just as bad, Miu.” Kaede reminded her.  
  
Miu shrugged, she didn’t care. "Whatever. It looks like creepy Korekiyo solved the trial after all."

"You agree with him?" Kaede asked.

"What he said makes sense," Miu said. "Kirumi was fed up and wanted out."

"My thoughts exactly." Korekiyo nodded. 

"Shall we vote then?" Angie asked. 

"I'm happy to vote," Kokichi smiled. "I'm getting hungry!" 

“Woah, hang on a minute!” Rantaro stopped them. “Don’t you think this is all a bit sudden?”

“It’s far too sudden.” Shuichi agreed. “We need to talk through all the points that you’ve made, because I’ve already noticed some contradictions.”

"Of course it's too sudden," Korekiyo replied. "I don't wish to vote yet, I was just trying to prove a point. As I've been telling you, you cannot vote based off pure speculation."

"I see..." Shuichi said. He understood where Korekiyo was coming from. Without any real evidence, they couldn't vote against him; it was too risky. He was trying to show the others that their actions were too hasty.

"That being said, I do stand by this theory," Korekiyo said. "I believe that Kirumi committed suicide."

"So now, we're left with two theories..." Kokichi said. "Either Korekiyo killed Kirumi, or Kirumi killed Kirumi."  

“Kirumi didn’t kill Kirumi!” Miu argued. “Her killer is in this room, wearing bandages and a mouth mask.”

"You were literally just agreeing with him..." a confused Kaede pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind again," Miu folded her arms. "His eyes are too fuckin' skeevy." 

“A suicide would make sense,” Tsumugi agreed. “It’s been plain awful here in the academy.”

“It might’ve been awful, but we can’t just presume Kirumi killed herself because of that,” Rantaro argued. "This seems like a murder to me."

“I agree with Rantaro, this is definitely a murder,” Kaito said. “All the evidence points towards it.”

“But we haven’t even discussed the possibility that Kirumi committed suicide,” Keebo reasoned. “We should at least give it a chance.”

Himiko sighed. "We've already discussed so many theories! It doesn't feel like we're getting anywhere."

"We aren’t getting anywhere because everyone just keeps arguing.” Kaede frowned. “How are we supposed to sort this when everyone is so split?”

"Did somebody say split, as in banana split?" Monokuma piped up, filled with anticipation. "The Ultimate Academy is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!"

"Morphenomenal trial grounds?" a confused Keebo repeated.

"Can't ya just look it up?" Miu frowned. "Ain't ya like 50% google?" 

"I'm not a search engine..." Keebo replied, somewhat insulted.

Before Shuichi even had time to figure out what this meant, Monokuma took action. A brand new mechanism opened up from Monokuma's throne; the Headmaster used a key to get it started. The courtroom came to life, and Shuichi found his podium rising. Caught off guard, Shuichi clung on for dear life, terrified that he was going to fall to his death, since the podiums were getting higher and higher. They finally came to a stop, not too far from the ceiling. He snuck a look down and instantly regretted it. The students were no longer in a circle, instead, they had been split into two groups, face to face with each other, as if they were about to commence in battle. 

Shuichi found himself on the left, along with Miu, Tenko, Rantaro, Kaito, Maki, Kaede, and Kokichi. What did they all have in common? They shared in the theory that Kirumi had been murdered. Opposite them were Angie, Korekiyo, Ryoma, Tsumugi, Himiko, Keebo, and Gonta. As for this team? They believed they were dealing with a suicide.

Forced into a heated confrontation, Keebo was the first to speak, in defence of the suicide theory. “Kirumi was the Ultimate Maid, so she knew all about **cleaning products**. She took her own life using something she knew.”

Rantaro fought back, providing a strong argument. "It's obvious that **cleaning products** are dangerous. You don't need prior knowledge. Anyone could have done this."

Korekiyo went next. "Kirumi wanted us to **stay away from the dining hall** , so we wouldn't interfere with her plans."  

Tenko instantly had something to say. "Kirumi wanted us to **stay away from the dining hall** because she was decorating it. She wanted the makeover to be a surprise!"

“Kirumi wanted to sacrifice herself to give us a **better future** because of Monokuma’s motive,” Himiko suggested.

Kaito rebutted. "If Kirumi wanted to give us a **better future** then why would she poison the whole pot of tea? She'd have killed us all if we drunk it!"

"Then maybe she killed herself because she was **overworked** and fed up," Ryoma put forward.

"Kirumi might have been **overworked** , but I think she wanted to be to keep herself distracted." Kaede disagreed.

“Kirumi wanted to die **peacefully** ,” Angie said. “That is why she planned the whole affair. She has always been a peaceful person.”

“No!” Shuichi rejected Angie’s claim. “If Kirumi wanted to die **peacefully** , she wouldn't have used poison. Her death would have been excruciatingly painful!"

Consuming the Monoblast would have been so painful, that Shuichi couldn't bear to even think about it. No one would choose to drink it, not unless they were truly desperate. Of course, there was no way of really knowing what had been going through Kirumi's mind, but even if she had chosen to commit suicide, then why the elaborate plan? She left no note, no warning, no way to tell the students the tea was poisoned. If someone had drunk it by mistake, they would have died too. Kirumi was thoughtful and caring, she would have left a warning. Besides, she could have consumed the poison without putting it in the lemon juice and making the tea. 

“Kirumi didn’t commit suicide, there’s too much evidence against it,” Shuichi stated, as his podium returned to the ground. The Scrum Debate had confirmed his suspicions; this was definitely murder. "Why would she poison the tea, which any one of us might have drunk by accident? She wouldn't want us to get hurt." 

Rantaro was in agreement. "Kirumi committing suicide wouldn't make sense, not with the way things played out. Why would she say she's coming back to get us at 8:30? Why would she decorate the dining hall?" 

“So...Kirumi was murdered…” Himiko concluded. “And Korekiyo is the killer.”

"Atua knew all along!" Angie said boastfully. "We've discovered our culprit. It’s time to vote!"

“Hold on a minute…” Shuichi said, bringing the trial to a halt. “Angie...why are you so desperate to vote?”

“Because I’ve known all along that Korekiyo is the killer,” Angie replied. “There’s nothing else left to solve, so we might as well go to the vote and then we can get on with the rest of our day.”

“But that’s not true,” Shuichi frowned. “Earlier, you were convinced that Himiko killed Kirumi. And just now, you were defending the theory that Kirumi committed suicide."

"Atua changes his mind a lot, he can be very indecisive you know." Angie shrugged.

"That's not indecisive, that's unreliable," Shuichi disagreed.

"What does it matter now?" Angie cocked her head. "We've caught our culprit red-handed.”

"We can't vote just like that," Shuichi shook his head in disbelief. Their lives were resting on this vote, but Angie was treating it like a careless decision.

“I don’t see what the issue is here, Shuichi,” Angie responded. “Do you have a problem? Atua certainly doesn't. If he's pleased, we should all be pleased.”

“Our lives depend on this decision,” Shuichi reminded her, his tone extremely serious. “We can’t rush things just because you want to leave.”

“Angie, it does feel like you’re rushing the vote…” Kaede admitted, backing Shuichi.

“Miu tried to push the vote too,” Angie pointed out.

“Miu is just...Miu…” Shuichi said. “But I wouldn’t expect that behaviour from you. It's odd.”

Why was Angie so keen to end the trial? Why did her opinion keep changing so quickly? 

“It’s not odd.” Angie insisted. “I want to punish Korekiyo for what he’s done.”

"Degenerates shouldn't be allowed to hurt women and get away with it!" Tenko growled. 

“As I keep saying, I have done nothing wrong,” Korekiyo repeated, sounding more and more frustrated. “You have no real evidence against me.”

"We have all the evidence that we need," Angie said calmly.

"But...do we?" Shuichi questioned her. "Korekiyo did suggest the recipe, but that could just be a coincidence. In court, that wouldn’t hold up; the evidence isn't strong enough.”

“That’s not the only evidence,” Angie continued. “He has no alibi for last night, when the poison was planted.”

"No one has an alibi for last night," Maki said. "Everyone was asleep in their rooms."

"Korekiyo left the dormitories during the night," Angie added. “That’s very suspicious.”

"Yes, but I returned to my room immediately," Korekiyo said defensively.

Angie wouldn't back down. "Just because you went back to your room, it doesn’t mean you’re innocent. You could have left again later, when Kaito wasn’t around. You went to the warehouse, put the lemon juice in the bucket and the Monoblast in the lemon juice bottle. Then, you snuck back to your room! Atua saw you do it, so there’s no point lying.”

"W-what did you say?" Shuichi gasped, the hairs on the back of his neck rising. 

"I said, he went to the warehouse-" Angie began.

Shuichi cut her short. "N-no, the last part."

“Atua saw you do it-” Angie said.

Shuichi interrupted her again. “No, not that part either. The bit about the lemon juice.”

"He put the lemon juice in the bucket," Angie repeated.

Gonta scratched his head. "Bucket?"

"Yeah, did I zone out or something?" Tenko raised her brow. "I don't remember discussing any buckets."

“Oh, are you talking about that bucket I found in the bushes?” Kokichi recalled. “The one containing Miu’s piss…”

"It's not my piss," Miu growled. "Don't fuckin' start that again!" 

Tsumugi looked at her classmates in utter bemusement. "This is plain confusing; I can't keep up."

"Can we slow down?" Himiko whinged. 

Rantaro turned to Shuichi with a confident smile. "I'm pretty sure I know what you're thinking." 

"You do?" Shuichi smiled back hopefully. 

Rantaro nodded. "Angie, what were you doing during the investigation?"

"I was praying for Kirumi," Angie replied. “Atua is going to welcome her with open arms.”

"Where were you praying?" Rantaro asked.

"I was in the dormitories, you saw me," Angie said.

“So you went straight to the dormitories?” Rantaro pressed.

“You’re asking a lot of questions, Rantaro…” Angie looked at him sceptically. "It's making Atua tired." 

“Can you just answer me, please?” Rantaro persisted.

“Yes, I was in the dormitories the entire time.” Angie admitted.

Rantaro's questioning continued. "And you didn't leave the dorms until Monokuma called us for the trial?"

“I stayed in the dormitories until the announcement, and then I went straight to the Shrine of Judgement,” Angie clarified.

“That’s everything I needed to know…” Rantaro muttered. “So, Angie, I’ve got one more question for you...how do you know about the bucket?”

"Does someone wanna tell me what the deal with this bucket is?" Kaito interrupted.

"During the investigation, I found an orange bucket outside in the bushes," Miu explained. "It was filled with piss."

"Yeah, your piss." Kokichi said.

"No it's fucki-" Miu went to argue, but Rantaro put a stop to it.

"I've gotta admit, I'd totally forgotten about the bucket until now," Rantaro said.

"So had I, especially with everything else going on," Shuichi admitted. He felt a little sheepish that he had forgotten about a clue, but he had never been in this situation before, so he couldn't be too hard on himself. 

“Kokichi, after Shuichi and I saw the bucket, did you show it to anyone else?” Rantaro asked.

“Nope.” Kokichi replied. “I put the bucket back in the bushes cuz I didn’t wanna stare at Miu’s pee any longer. I would’ve put it in her lab if she wasn’t already in there…”

“Fuckin’ toad!” Miu spat. “I’m gettin’ a lock for my lab.”

“No you’re not.” Monokuma said bluntly.

“I’ll invent one,” Miu retorted.

“And I’ll uninvent it.” Monokuma quipped.

“Um...I’m still really confused,” Tsumugi admitted. “Why did Miu pee in a bucket?”

“She didn't,” Shuichi quickly clarified, before Miu and Kokichi started fighting again. “There was a yellowy liquid inside the bucket, but it wasn't urine. Until now, I wasn’t really sure what it was and, if I'm being honest, I'd forgotten about it. But from what Angie just said, I now understand. The liquid inside the bucket was lemon juice." 

“The same lemon juice that was poisoned?” Keebo asked.

"This is the lemon juice that didn't get poisoned," Shuichi explained. "The lemon juice that was disposed of to make room for the Monoblast. Kaito suggested earlier than the killer got rid of the additional liquid in the toilets, but I think this is where the missing lemon juice really went. Just as Angie said..."

"This confirms the killer poisoned the lemon juice, not the tea." Tenko pointed out. 

"So the killer emptied some of the lemon juice into the bucket, to make room for the Monoblast," Kaede said, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "Then, they hid it in the bushes, hoping no one would find it." 

"The question is..." Rantaro paused. "How does Angie know about the bucket? Only four of us saw it: me, Shuichi, Kokichi, and Miu.”

"I also saw it during the investigation," Angie replied calmly. "Atua brought it to my attention.”

"But at which point?" Rantaro asked, persisting with his interrogation. "I thought you went straight to the dormitories?"

"I did; I saw it on my way to the dormitories," Angie smiled. "It was in the bushes outside, which I walked past.”

Rantaro folded his arms. "Then why didn't you mention it to anyone?"

"I didn't think it was important enough," Angie defended herself.

"It would've been pretty useful information earlier," Rantaro said cooly. "Y'know, when we were trying to figure out where the lemon juice went. This information cements the fact that the killer poisoned the lemon juice; it would have helped." 

"It's not helpful if you keep theories to yourself," Tenko frowned. 

"I don't see the issue here. Everyone else forgot about the bucket too." Angie shrugged.

"We might have forgotten to mention it in the trial, but that's because we genuinely didn't remember," Rantaro argued rationally. "Whereas, it seems that you've already put a theory together, but chosen to keep it to yourself." 

"There's a difference." Miu agreed. 

"Besides," Rantaro continued. "Kokichi and Miu showed us the bucket. You didn't tell anyone that you'd even found it." 

"Honestly Rantaro, it slipped my mind." Angie smiled pleasantly.

“Angie, you knew about the bucket, I can’t let that slide,” Shuichi said seriously.

"I suspect only five people knew about the bucket," Rantaro said. "Me, Shuichi, Kokichi, Miu, and....the killer."

"I'm struggling to believe that Angie saw the bucket during the investigation," Kaito frowned. "Surely she'd have said something."

"Exactly," Rantaro said. "The way she mentioned it so casually...I think that was an accident. She slipped up.”

"That's why so many bad liars fall flat," Kokichi remarked. "They can never keep up with their stories."

"I feel like all of this is distracting us from the real killer: Korekiyo." Angie said, returning to her theory. "Atua thinks we should vot-" 

Shuichi shook his head in frustration. "Angie, stop trying to pressure the vote."

“It’s not me, it’s Atua,” Angie insisted. “He’s trying to help us; to guide us successfully through the trial. He knows what to do.”

Shuichi stared at the Ultimate Artist, his mind beginning to whir. How did Angie know about the orange bucket? Had she really seen it on her way to the dormitories? Or was she the one who had planted it there? She kept changing her mind, desperate to vote for anyone who seemed guilty. What was going on?

“I believe Angie,” Himiko said. “She’s got Atua helping her. The killer must be Korekiyo.”

“Exactly Himiko!” Angie exclaimed with a smile. “Atua wants us to make the right decision, he's on our side."

“Atua not want to hurt us.” Gonta reasoned.

“Atua has our best interest at heart,” Angie said. “We should listen to him.”

The way Angie was speaking...Shuichi found it strange.

_'Guide us successfully through the trial'_

_'Make the right decision'_

Angie wanted the trial to go in the ‘right direction’ but what did that mean? Her words were so cryptic, it made Shuichi think back to something she had told him during the investigation.

_"Don't worry, Shuichi, Kirumi is in a better place now," Angie reassured him. "The afterlife is where she can finally rest, away from Monokuma and his evil motive."_

A better place…

Angie had been doing everything in her power to make the school into a paradise, but her view seemed to have changed. Had something happened?  

Shuichi tried to think back even further. He reflected on the previous evening in the library, trying to remember Angie’s behaviour. It was Angie who suggested decorating the dining hall, but that didn’t mean anything; the decorations weren’t linked to Kirumi’s murder. That being said, she had seemed especially excited about the tea.

_"But tomorrow is special," Angie argued her point. "This tea is exactly what we need."_

Special? Exactly what they need? 

As the Ultimate Detective stood there, with a million different thoughts running through his mind, he came to a possible conclusion. The idea came to him suddenly, its very possibility causing him to shiver. Could it be? Would Angie really do something so twisted? He had to confront her, bring the theory to light. But he was scared. Scared that he was going to be wrong. No, he had to do this. He had to be brave and expose the truth.

“Angie, you were in the library last night,” Shuichi said. “I remember your exact words when the tea was mentioned, you said...'this tea is exactly what we need'. At the time, I thought you were referring to the tea’s healing properties, but now, I feel differently…”

“So what do you suppose I meant, Shuichi?” Angie cocked her head, challenging him.

“The tea is exactly what you needed to commit murder,” Shuichi said sternly. It was a bold accusation to make, but he had to stay strong. He had to believe in himself.

Angie brushed him off. “You must’ve misunderstood me. I don't want to murder anyone.”

“I don’t think I have,” Shuichi disagreed. “You were in the library last night, so you knew about the tea. You also went with Kirumi to collect cleaning supplies - putting the Monoblast fresh in your mind. And, you’ve been trying to rush the vote whenever we were onto a theory that turned out to be wrong.”

“As Korekiyo would say, that’s all just coincidence,” Angie smiled pleasantly. “You’re so tired that it must be clouding your judgement. Why would I kill Kirumi? She was my friend.”

“Angie didn’t care about the motive,” Tsumugi said supportively. “She wanted to make the school paradise. She wouldn’t give in to Monokuma; she wants the best for us.”

“I...I know Angie wants the best for us,” Shuichi said, taking a deep breath before he revealed his theory. “Which...which...which is why she killed Kirumi.”

“You make no fuckin’ sense,” Miu rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Why would Angie kill Kirumi if she wants the best for us?”

Shuichi paused, the words on the tip of his tongue. Was he really ready to say this? What he was going to reveal could change everything… but he had to do it… he had to be brave. “Angie didn’t want to kill Kirumi, in fact, that’s where everything went wrong. Angie wanted to kill all of us.”

“She...she planned a massacre?” Kaede whispered, her face pale.

“No,” Shuichi quickly shook his head. “She planned a mass suicide. A mass suicide that went wrong.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Angie denied, maintaining Shuichi's gaze.

“Why...why would Angie want to hurt us?” Himiko lowered her head.

“I knew you couldn’t trust her as a friend, Himiko!” Tenko insisted.

"I can trust Angie, she's still my friend." Himiko said. 

"Why do you think Angie tried to kill us?!" Keebo exclaimed. 

“When Korekiyo suggested the tea yesterday, Angie seemed especially excited,” Shuichi recalled. “She wanted Kirumi to decorate the dining hall, to make a real occasion out of it.”

“I wanted to cheer everyone up,” Angie defended herself. "I'm doing everything I can to make the academy feel like paradise!" 

Shuichi shot her down. “No, that’s wrong! You needed an excuse to have everyone drink the tea together, at the exact same time. So you tried to make an occasion out of things, so that your request didn't seem strange."

“You’re just making assumptions,” Angie shrugged.

“I’m not,” Shuichi shook his head adamantly.

"Atua wants to see evidence then," Angie said. "But he doesn't believe you." 

"Then I'll give him some," Shuichi replied. "This morning, when nearly everyone had left the picnic benches, Kaede suggested that those who stayed should go ahead to the dining hall and drink the tea, since the others didn't care enough to wait. Angie, you quickly stopped this from happening; you didn't want us to drink the tea separately." 

"I remember that!" Kaito exclaimed. 

"That isn't evidence," Angie replied. "I was just being polite. I thought it would nice for us to all do something together as a group."

"But it isn't just what you said, it's the way you said it," Shuichi continued. "You never said you wanted everyone to drink the tea together because it would be nice. You said you wanted everyone to drink the tea together in harmony, with Atua guiding us." 

"What a peculiar thing to say, Angie." Korekiyo remarked, the tables now turned since he was out of the hot seat. 

"You couldn't risk everyone drinking the tea at different times," Shuichi continued. “You knew the tea was poisonous. We had to drink it together, or only a handful of us would die.”

"You really think that Angie tried to kill us?" Tsumugi frowned. "That sounds plain out of character that she'd want to hurt anyone!" 

"And why would she want to kill all of us, instead of just Kirumi?" Keebo pondered. "You only need to kill one person to graduate. There was no need for a mass suicide."  

"I'm certain that she intended to kill us all," Shuichi nodded, trying his best to sound confident. "There's a strong piece of evidence that backs up my theory, and it's something we've already mentioned." 

"What is it?" Tenko scratched her head. 

"When serving a meal, Kirumi won't eat or drink until everyone else has been served first," Shuichi revealed. 

"Oh yeah, we discussed that earlier," Rantaro said. 

"Kirumi mentioned it at dinner a couple of nights ago," Kaede reflected. 

"A dinner which everyone attended, so we all heard Kirumi say it," Shuichi continued on with his point. "With this in mind, I don't think Angie expected her to drink the tea before we arrived."

"Then why did Kirumi drink it?" Tsumugi wondered.

“That...I’m not sure of,” Shuichi admitted honestly. “It’s something that only Kirumi knows.”

“Well, we can’t ask her.” Kokichi said.

“Maybe it was just something trivial?” Kaede suggested. “This was a brand new recipe she’d never made before, so perhaps she wanted to taste it to make sure it was okay.”

“That seems like the most likely answer to me.” Maki nodded in agreement.

“Whatever the reason, it was a fatal decision…” Keebo said.

“Even if all of that is true, Angie isn’t the one behind it,” Himiko spoke up. “She wants to make life heaven on earth. She’s the last person who would do something like this.”

“It does seem unlikely,” Tsumugi agreed. “Angie has been stronger than all of us. She’s been trying to make the academy a paradise.”

“Atua is grateful that you believe in me,” Angie smiled. “I would never want to hurt anyone. Someone else might have tried to commit a mass suicide, but it wasn’t me. I don’t see how this any different to what you were doing to Korekiyo; all the evidence is circumstantial.”

“You were the one trying to pin this on Korekiyo,” Rantaro reminded her. “Which is part of why you seem so suspicious.”

“Not to mention the weird shit you say about Atua,” Miu added. “It gives me the creeps!”

“That is what I have been trying to say.” Korekiyo remarked. “All the evidence against me is circumstantial.”

"That's not true, we know you snuck out of your room at night." Angie said. 

“Korekiyo did go outside,” Shuichi said. “But, he returned back to his room, which must be true or Kaito would have seen him.”

“Yes, but he might have gone back outside again later,” Angie pointed out.

“That’s true, he _might_ have, but we could say that about anyone,” Shuichi explained. “We have no proof that Korekiyo left the building again, so we can’t hold that against him.”

“As for the alibis during the night,” Rantaro added. “Literally no one has one. So that’s useless as well.”

“Supported by other evidence, you might have a case,” Shuichi said. “But without it, all you have are accusations and theories.”

“This is what I have been saying all along.” Korekiyo said, appearing far more relaxed now that his name was in the clear.

“It doesn’t change the fact that you’re still a fuckin’ creep.” Miu commented.

“Now, Angie, the evidence we have against you, it’s different,” Shuichi revealed. “You’ve been saying strange things about this case in relation to Atua. You also found a crucial piece of evidence, which I don’t believe you should have seen.”

“Those aren’t theories, those are facts.” Kaito concluded.

“That does seem pretty condemning,” Kaede said, before pausing. “...but, there’s something that I don’t understand. _Why_ would Angie want to commit a mass suicide.”

“I wouldn’t,” Angie said. “Since Monokuma announced his motive, I’ve been the one trying to keep us going. With Atua’s help, of course.”

“It is true,” Tenko noted. “Angie hasn’t shut up about making the academy a paradise.”

“If I hear her say ‘heaven on earth’ one more time, I’m gonna fuckin’ loose it,” Miu complained. “It’s basically Angie’s catchphrase at this point.”

“I can’t look inside Angie’s mind,” Shuichi said. “But I do have a possible motive.”

“Which is?” Kaede asked.

“Angie couldn't fulfil her promsies,” Shuichi shared. “She wanted to make the academy a paradise, but with Monokuma’s cruel motive, her mission became impossible. We aren’t sleeping properly - I’ve spent the past two nights on my bathroom floor. The lack of sleep is making us paranoid and emotional. No matter what Angie says or does, she can’t change that."

"This is what I was trying to tell her at breakfast yesterday,” Kokichi said.

Shuichi reflected on the hostile exchange that had taken place at breakfast between Angie and Kokichi. 

_“See, Angie?!” Kokichi challenged her. “No one wants to hear your prayers anymore. Do you really believe this is heaven on earth or are you trying to convince yourself? Atua isn’t coming to rescue us, no one is coming to help us. Your fake God won't change anything.”_

“I think your words at breakfast yesterday were a harsh wakeup call,” Shuichi continued. “In the back of her mind, Angie knew that you were right. No matter how hard we try, with conditions like these, this academy will never be a paradise.”

“So, you think Angie gave up?” Tenko suggested.

“Gave up? No…” Shuichi shook his head. “I think this made Angie want to try even harder to help us. It made her realise that life here is beyond repair, so our only hope is to be with Atua.”

Angie said nothing, but she smiled at Shuichi as he spoke. The detective couldn’t help but wonder what this meant. Was Angie hinting that he was right?

Shuichi continued explaining his theory. “From what Angie has told me, Atua’s Kingdom is a peaceful place. I think she wanted to take us there, away from...this.”

Kaito looked at Shuichi sceptically. “You believe in Atua now?”

“I don’t, personally,” Shuichi replied. “But Angie does. During the investigation, Angie told me that Kirumi is in a better place now: Atua’s Kingdom. And she told me how he has enough love in his heart for everyone. Angie tried to kill us because wanted to free us, to take us to Atua. It just so happened that things went wrong.”

Angie exhaled a deep sigh, before smiling at her classmates. "Atua wants me to be honest now, so I suppose this is where I tell you the truth."

Shuichi was taken aback. Was Angie about to confess?

"It was me...I poisoned the tea." Angie admitted, the smile not moving from her face. "As you guessed, I wasn't trying to kill Kirumi. I was trying to take all of you to Atua’s Kingdom."

Shuichi found himself speechless.  
  
"At first, I truly believed life here could be a paradise," the artist shared. "With Atua's guidance, I was doing everything in my power to make things okay for us. But Monokuma has been relentless; his motive is practically torture. Even Atua is powerless to help us here. This academy is filled with darkness and despair. If we really want to be happy, we must leave this all behind and be with Atua in his Kingdom.”

“Atua’s Kingdom?” Himiko said softly.

“Ah Himiko, it is beautiful.” Angie’s eyes shone bright. “Every day is paradise, with a tropical climate and never-ending sunshine. Not to mention the prettiest flowers you will ever see!”

“That...that sounds lovely,” Gonta whispered.

 “Ah Gonta, there is the most beautiful butterfly garden.” Angie described. "The butterflies are so peaceful; they'll come and sit on you."

"Gonta wants to meet them!" Gonta exclaimed.

"The tropical climate does sound nice..." Tsumugi agreed.

"It's not too late, you know," Angie said persuasively. "If you don't vote for me as the blackened, we can all go to Atua's Kingdom together."

"Stupid bitch, you ain't tricking me!" Miu snapped. "If we don't vote for you, we're all killed and you get to leave."

"That's true, your life would be spared..." Kaede said.

“Monokuma,” Angie turned to the bear. “If I asked you to execute me along with the others, would you?”

“Meh, sure.” Monokuma shrugged casually. “It would spice up the class trial. I've always wanted to host a whole class execution!"

“See.” Angie smiled, having created a solution. “I am not trying to manipulate you into sparing me. I want us to all live together in harmony.”

The look of hope in Angie’s eyes...it was real. Shuichi doubted that Angie was trying to trick him. She was desperately clinging to the idea of Atua's Kingdom. She wanted an escape. A happy ending. Shuichi admired her optimism, but he did not feel the same way as Angie. In his opinion, Atua's Kingdom would not be waiting for them on the other side. He didn’t want to disrespect Angie’s belief, but some of the others seemed to be getting swayed.

"Perhaps this is what we need," Korekiyo said. "A chance to escape from this hellish academy."

"Korekiyo, I thought you didn't believe in Atua?" Kaede said.

"I don't," Korekiyo replied. "But I do believe that we are doomed to eternal misery here."

"The motive is over now," Kaito pointed out. "We can sleep normally again." 

"But for how long?" Korekiyo argued. "How long until we're faced with a different motive? One that is far crueler. I can't see Monokuma's fun stopping here."

"It's like never-ending hell." Ryoma contributed.

"What are you guys saying?!" Tenko exclaimed. "You want to vote for the wrong person?! That's insane!"

"One might argue that remaining here is insane," Korekiyo disagreed. "Even if we survive this trial, the killing game continues."

"Why don't we leave together in harmony?" Angie said. "Instead of waiting for everyone to die, one by one."

"I want to be with Atua," Himiko insisted. "I want all of this to be over: Monokuma, the killing game, the motives."

"I suppose we're all gonna die anyway!" Kokichi exclaimed cheerily.

"We don't know that," Kaede said sternly.

"It's in the rules." Kokichi reminded her. "The game continues until just one person is left."

"Maybe there's a way to change that," Kaede said, desperately seeking an alternative option.

"You're naive if you believe that," Maki said coldly. "Monokuma isn't going to change the rules. I doubt he knows what sympathy even means."

"Atua is waiting for us," Angie said kindly. "He's going to welcome everyone with open arms, no matter what you believe."

"Angie, stop this!" Kaede pleaded. "What we're going through is awful, I know, but we can't just give up."

"It's not giving up," Angie said. "It's the opposite. We're moving on to better things."

"It's like looking to the future," Tsumugi said optimistically.

“We don’t need to worry,” Rantaro said calmly. “Even if some people want to vote incorrectly, we’re going to be okay.”

“How do you know that?” Miu asked.

“To win this trial, I presume we need a majority vote,” Rantaro said, turning to Monokuma for confirmation.  
  
“That’s correct.” Monokuma nodded.

“Since we know who the killer is, it’s safe to say people are going to vote one of two ways,” Rantaro continued. “Vote correctly and choose Angie. Or, vote incorrectly, and choose anyone _but_ Angie. So long as a minimum of eight people vote for Angie, we won’t be executed.”

“We don’t know who wants to vote for who.” Kaito pointed out.  
  
“Then let’s find out,” Rantaro said. “Raise your hand if you want to vote correctly.” he raised his own as he spoke.

Shuichi put his arm in the air and looked around the group to see who was in agreement with him. Those with their hands up, as well as Shuichi and Rantaro, were Maki, Kaito, Miu, Tenko, and Kaede. Shuichi quickly took count. Much to his horror, the vote wasn't what he'd been expecting. “S-seven?!”

Rantaro seemed just as surprised. “T-that can’t be right…” he recounted, but the numbers remained the same.

Shuichi looked at those who hadn’t raised their hands: Angie, Korekiyo, Ryoma, Tsumugi, Himiko, Gonta, Kokichi, and Keebo.

“Eight of you want to die?!” Kaito exclaimed. “What’s wrong with you?”  
  
“We’re not going to die, we’re going to be with Atua.” Himiko reasoned.

“Atua sounds kind!” Gonta smiled, in awe of the God. “Much nicer than Monokuma.”

“Ryoma, surely you don’t believe in Atua?!” Kaede looked at him in disbelief.  
  
“I don’t,” Ryoma said. “But I don’t wanna spend the rest of my life like this. It’s not like I’ve got anyone waiting for me out there.”

“We’ve had enough of Monokuma and his bullying,” Keebo said. “Atua will treat us with kindness and respect.”

Kaito couldn’t bite his tongue. “Y-you really believe that? You really believe Atua is waiting for you with open arms? Cuz, it’s not true. No one is out there. If you vote incorrectly, we’re dead.”

“I-it’s not just about Atua,” Tsumugi said, as her bottom lip began to tremble. “I don’t want to play this game anymore."

Her emotional state triggered Himiko, who looked close to tears also. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life here.”

Kokichi began wailing, snot running from his nose. “I don’t wanna do this anymore! I hate this killing game!” It was hard to tell if he was lying or not and Shuichi saw it as too cruel to try and figure this out.

One by one, the students began to cave. Even those who weren’t crying seemed shaken or upset; Shuichi felt himself trembling. It was a distressing sight, witnessing everyone so fragile. The emotions of the past few days had built up, becoming too much to handle. They were sleep deprived, dirty, and scared.  
  
“Please, don’t do this.” Kaede begged, her voice cracking as she spoke. “I know that we’re all scared; I’m terrified. I don’t know why we’re here and I don’t what the future holds for us. But we can’t just give up. We need to find out the truth, a way to get out of here. We can’t stop fighting.”  
  
"Kaede is right, we can't give up!" Tenko said strongly. "We have to work together to get through this."  
  
"But that may never happen," Korekiyo pointed out. "Monokuma holds exceptional power over us."

"We're never going to know if we don't try," Kaede said rationally.

“I-I don’t think I can keep doing this, Kaede,” Tsumugi whispered. “I want my old life back. I miss my family and my friends.”

“And who’s to say you won’t get your old life back?” Kaede said kindly. “Just because this is our situation now, it doesn’t mean things will be this way forever. Things can change for the better, even when all seems lost.”

The room was filled with uncertainty; with a heavy decision weighing down the students. Kaede’s optimism was important, but it wasn’t enough. There were still only seven hands in the air, not enough to sway the life saving vote. Shuichi had to step in before it was too late.

“Before the investigation began, I was really afraid,” he shared, opening up to his classmates. “Afraid that I was going to fail you all, and Kirumi too. I was convinced that I wasn’t strong enough to solve the case and I’d get us killed. The fear was so strong, that I didn’t want to investigate at all.”

“So that’s why you left…” Kaito muttered.

Shuichi nodded. “Without Kaede and Rantaro, I’m not sure I would have returned. They gave me the strength that I needed to face the investigation and the trial. Do you know why? It’s because they reminded me to persevere, no matter how bad things may seem.”

He paused for a moment, using the time to study the faces of those around him. Everyone was looking at him intently, hooked on his every word. Kaede shot him a supportive smile, which pushed him to carry on.

“Our futures are uncertain, but that also means they’re unwritten.” Shuichi continued. “We have the power to change our stories, to try and shape our own futures. But only if we keep trying. If we vote incorrectly, that’s it - our ending is set in stone.”  

Tsumugi took a deep breath, doing her best to calm down. “Y-you’re right. I’m plain terrified about what might happen to us, but I want to try and make it through this.”

“That’s the spirit, Tsumugi!” Kaede cheered supportively.

“We can work together, we can make it through this!” Keebo exclaimed.

“I suppose it could be worth a try,” Korekiyo said. “Giving up would be a rather dissatisfying ending.”

Himiko nodded in agreement. “Atua would understand that we aren’t joining him.”

One by one, the students who had been uncertain, raised their hands, as they did their best to see hope in their futures. It was a terrifying feeling, knowing the journey ahead was uncertain, but anything had to be better than death.  In the end, there was only one person with their arm still lowered...Angie.

“So, the majority wins,” Rantaro narrated. “Sorry Angie, but I think this is it.”

“It’s okay, so long as you're happy.” Angie smiled, bearing no resentment. “I get to meet Atua now, after all. I have waited for this moment for so long. Who knew it would come so soon…”

“Is this it, do we vote now?” Tenko asked.

“Could the vote wait a minute?” Kaito asked. “Angie, if you don’t mind... would you consider recapping the case? I wanna make sure we've covered everything.”

“Atua would be happy to do so,” Angie nodded. "How much would you like to know?" 

"All of it, if possible." Kaito replied. 

"Well," Angie began. “As you know, I’ve been doing everything I can to make the school into a paradise, but it’s not enough; Monokuma’s motive is too strong. After Kokichi’s confrontation yesterday morning, I finally realised that life here in the academy is hopeless. I realised that to be truly happy we need to be with Atua in his Kingdom.”

“And you never thought of asking us if we actually wanted to go?” Kokichi interrupted.

“It crossed my mind,” Angie replied. “But everyone is so different, that I knew it would just cause arguments and I didn't want any fighting, just peace. I wanted us to go together, so I took matters into my own hands. When we were in the library, and the tea was mentioned, I knew that was my chance.”

“So someone really did take advantage of Korekiyo’s suggestion,” Tsumugi realised.

“I suppose now is the most appropriate time to say, _I told you so_ ,” Korekiyo remarked, his innocence confirmed.

“I chose poison as my method, because it was the easiest way for us all to pass to Atua at once,” Angie explained. “I considered poisoning breakfast, but no one seemed to be eating. The tea was perfect for my plan.”

“I regret ever suggesting it,” Korekiyo sighed.

“As Shuichi suspected, I needed everyone to drink the tea at the same time, which is why I asked Kirumi to decorate the dining hall,” Angie revealed. “Making an occasion out of things was the only way. I knew that if we didn’t all die at once, a class trial would be triggered, which isn’t what I wanted.”

“But it happened anyway…” Kaito murmured.

“Ever since Kirumi mentioned it in the library, I knew my best option was to poison the lemon juice,” Angie continued. “There were twenty bottles, so I poisoned each one, to ensure Kirumi was definitely walking away with a poisoned bottle.”

It was exactly as he’d predicted, but Shuichi still found it difficult to listen to.

Angie carried on with her story. “As for the bucket...the very thing that gave me away. I used the bucket to dispose of the lemon juice I’d be getting rid of, to make room for the Monoblast. I found it lying around in the warehouse. I then poured a generous serving of Monoblast into each of the bottles.”

“Did you hide the bottles, as we thought?” Kaito asked, interrupting her story with his curiosity.  
  
“That’s exactly what I did,” Angie nodded. “They’re probably still in the same place, buried underneath some yoga mats. I didn’t think anyone would look there.”  
  
Angie was right.

“Once the poison was planted, I left the warehouse,” Angie said. “My plan was to take the bucket into my room, since no one would ever find it there. However, on my way out of the main building, I saw Kaito leave the dormitories. I didn’t know what to do, but Atua suggested I hide in the bushes.”

“Y-you...you were out there?” Kaito exclaimed, in disbelief.

Angie nodded. “Mmhmm. It was dark enough that you didn’t see me.”

“Man!” Kaito scratched his head. “I really had no idea…”

“You were out there for a while, so once you finally left, I knew I had to be quick because the fire alarm could sound at any minute,” Angie said. “I decided to leave the bucket in the bushes because I couldn’t risk being seen with it. I never expected anyone to find it.”

“So that explains how it got there,” Keebo remarked.  
  
“As for the rest of the story, I think we all know that,” Angie went on. “I never imagined that Kirumi would drink the tea, so I was just as shocked when we found her in the dining hall.”  
  
“But you went along with things because you still saw a chance to take us to Atua…” Rantaro concluded, finishing Angie’s story for her. “You wanted us to vote incorrectly so we could still die together.”

“And I’m guessing that’s why you didn’t keep lying once we’d solved the case,” Shuichi theorised. “Rather than waste your own time, you thought you might be able to persuade everyone into voting incorrectly.”

Everything made so much sense now.

“Right, time’s up!” Monokuma exclaimed, eager to move things along. “I need the toilet so you need to hurry up and vote.”  
  
“You’re a robot…” Rantaro pointed out. “You can just say you want to start the vote without the stupid excuse.”

“Nobody asked for your opinion,” Monokuma glared. “Well, it’s time for the heart racing moment that you’ve all been waiting for. It’s voting time!”  
  
“I’m so excited, I might shit myself.” Monokid grinned.  
  
A screen lit up on Shuichi’s podium, one that he hadn’t noticed before. He was presented with sixteen different portraits; Kirumi’s crossed out. Without hesitation, although with a trembling hand, Shuichi selected Angie’s portrait. His finger then hovered over the confirmation button, aware how real this was all going to become once he pressed it. With one press of a button he was going to condemn someone to death; the thought made him feel sick to his stomach. He wished there was another way out, but it was too late for Angie. As his fingers pressed down on the conformation button, he whispered. “I’m sorry.”  
  
The other students registered their votes, which didn’t take long. The answer seemed obvious, but Shuichi knew to always expect the unexpected. Thankfully, Monokuma didn’t keep them waiting for long. He eagerly jumped up in his seat, announcing the verdict.  
  
**“GUILTY!!”**  
  
Shuichi felt a strong sense of relief; he wasn’t going to die. Not today, at least…  
  
“Ding ding ding!” Monokuma exclaimed. “You found the blackened! That’s right, Angie Yonaga, the Ultimate Artist, is responsible for this murder.”

“It...it really is you,” Tsumugi whispered, staring at her classmate. “I wish this wasn’t true.”  
  
“You don’t have to pity me,” Angie smiled. “This is exactly what I wanted; I get to be with Atua now. And Kirumi too!”  
  
“Will you say hello to her, from me?” Himiko asked.  
  
“Of course, Himiko,” Angie nodded. “I will tell how Kirumi much we all miss her.”  
  
"Mmm-mmm!" there was a muffled murmur from across the courtroom. Monophanie was desperately trying to speak, but she couldn't, since Monokid's fist was still in her mouth.  
  
"I think Monophanie wants to say something," Kaede said.  
  
"Mmmhm!" Monophanie nodded, doing her best to communicate.  
  
"Too fuckin' bad, cuz she ain't gonna speak," Monokid said.

"That's not fair," Kaede argued. "What gives you the right to control what she says?"  
  
"Monophanie always says too much," Monosuke said.  
  
"Let her talk," Monokuma demanded.  
  
"But Pops-" Monosuke protested.  
  
"I said, let her talk!" Monokuma growled. "Nobody silences my kids! Now shut up Monosuke."  
  
Reluctantly, Monokid removed his fist from Monophanie's mouth. She took a big gulp of fresh air.  
  
"What were you trying to say, Monophanie?" Kaede asked kindly.  
  
"I... I think I'm the reason that Kirumi drank the tea," Monophanie confessed. “I know you were talking about it earlier, but Monokid wouldn’t let me speak.”  
  
“Why do you think that?” Kaede said, staring at the bear, intrigued.  
  
“Because I told her to drink the tea…” Monophanie admitted.  
  
“Yeah, then I suspect that’s why…” Kaito remarked.  
  
“Why did you want Kirumi to drink the tea?” Maki pried. “Did you know that it was poisoned?”  
  
“N-no, I didn’t know anything!” Monophanie squealed. “Daddy told me to do it.”  
  
“Monokuma?!” Tenko exclaimed. “You put Monophanie up to this! Did you know something?”  
  
“Of course I knew, I saw everything through the security feeds,” Monokuma said. “I wasn’t about to let a mass suicide take part under my nose. It would ruin the entire killing game.”  
  
“So...so you got Kirumi to drink the tea before anyone else, meaning she died and this became a murder case.” Kaede concluded. “You were able to stop anyone else from drinking it.”  
  
“I thought you weren’t allowed to get involved with the murders,” Keebo said.  
  
“How do we know that you’re telling the truth?” Tsumugi asked. “You might have just poisoned Kirumi yourself and framed Angie.”

"Angie literally just confessed..." Kokichi pointed out.   
  
“I wouldn’t do that, it’s against the rules,” Monokuma insisted. “Besides, it’s boring!”  
  
“But you interfered with the murder.” Kaito objected.  
  
“I didn’t interfere!” Monokuma huffed. “Interfering would be hiding evidence, or planting fake evidence. I asked Monophanie to speak to Kirumi, there’s nothing wrong with that.”  
  
“But we have no proof that’s what really happened.” Rantaro pointed out.  
  
“You students and your stupid proof…” Monokuma muttered angrily, under his breath. “How’s this for proof?” from underneath his throne, Monokuma retrieved a large remote control. He pressed one of the buttons, triggering a large plasma screen to lower down from the ceiling. “Here is the security footage from the dining hall this morning.”  
  
The students watched with bated breath as Monokuma pressed play . The video loaded on the screen, showing the dining hall from the point of view of the security camera. In clear, high definition, Kirumi could be seen setting out the sixteen teacups on the dining table. The door to the dining hall opened, and in walked Monophanie.  
  
_“Rise and Shine Ursine!” Monophanie greeted Kirumi._ _  
__  
__“Good morning Monophanie,” Kirumi said politely, her attention still on the table._ _  
__  
__“What are you doing?” Monophanie asked._ _  
__  
__“I’m setting out the teacups,” Kirumi replied. “The tea is ready, but it’s just cooling down. I’ll get the others shortly.”_ _  
__  
__Monophanie pointed to the teapot. “What kind of tea is it?”_ _  
__  
__“It’s an unusual recipe,” Kirumi said. “I’ve never heard of it before, but it’s supposed to be good for tiredness.”_ _  
__  
__“What’s in it?” Monophanie asked._ _  
__  
__Kirumi recited the ingredients. “Black pepper, chai leaves, maple syrup, lemon juice, peppermint, ginger, and cinnamon.”_ _  
__  
__“Oh…” Monophanie frowned. “That sounds strange. I didn’t think pepper was for drinking! Although sometimes Monokid pours it all over Monodam’s dinner so he can’t eat it.”_ _  
__  
__“...I see,” Kirumi said, paying little attention to the bear._ _  
__  
__Monophanie persisted. “Does it taste as horrible as it sounds?”_ _  
__  
__“I haven’t tried it yet,” Kirumi replied. “I don’t like to serve myself until everyone else has been seen to.”_ _  
__  
__“Is that really a good idea?” Monophanie said. “What if tastes horrible? Don’t you think you should try it? Then if it tastes really bad, you can add some honey or sugar.”_ _  
__  
__Kirumi paused. “I suppose that’s true, the recipe might need some adjustments.”_ _  
__  
__“Exactly,” Monophanie nodded. “You won’t know what adjustments to make if you don’t try it!”_ _  
__  
__“I don’t like to serve myself first, but I suppose this is different…” Kirumi reasoned with herself. “Most of my recipes I’m exceptionally familiar with, so I don’t need to try them. However, I’ve never made this tea before.”_ _  
__  
__“Definitely.” Monophanie smiled._ _  
__  
__“I’ll try a cup myself and see if it needs improving,” Kirumi said, reaching for the teapot. “Would you care for some, Monophanie? There is more than enough.”_ _  
__  
__“N-no thanks,” Monophanie quickly shook her head. “Daddy says I’m not allowed.”_ _  
__  
__Kirumi paused. “Monokuma doesn’t want you to drink the tea?”_ _  
__  
__“N-no!” Monophanie shook her head even faster. “Daddy says I’m not allowed...to...to accept things off of strangers.”_ _  
__  
__“I see,” Kirumi said. She grabbed one of the teacups and poured herself a generous serving of tea. Kirumi put the teacups to her lips, when…_ _  
_  
When…  
  
...When the recording stopped.  
  
“You can’t stop there!” Kaito argued. “We need to see what happens.”  
  
“You want to watch Kirumi die?!” Tenko argued. “That’s awful.”  
  
“N-no, of course I don’t wanna see Kirumi die,” Kaito corrected himself. “But I think it’s important to see what really happened.”  
  
“Too bad, because you’re not seeing anymore,” Monokuma said stubbornly. He pressed the remote again and the screen disappeared. “The point of that video is to prove to you that I did nothing wrong.”  
  
“It seems like Monokuma set up Monophanie, but he didn’t break any rules,” Ryoma said. “Kirumi drank that tea of her own free will.”  
  
“I didn’t get involved, I just prompted Monophanie to speak to Kirumi,” Monokuma said.  
  
“Daddy told me to convince Kirumi to try the tea,” Monophanie shared. “Since Kirumi had never made that kind of tea before, I was able to persuade her to try some, just to make sure it tasted alright.”  
  
“And Kirumi listened to you…” Tsumugi sighed.  
  
"So...does that make Monophanie the blackened?" Himiko asked.  
  
"Nope, nope, nope, nopety, nope." Monokuma shook his head passionately. "The blackened is the one who planted the poison: Angie.”  
  
“But Monophaine-” Himiko protested.  
  
“Himiko, what are you doing?!” Tenko exclaimed.  
  
“I’m trying to save Angie,” Himiko explained. “She doesn’t deserve to die.”  
  
“It’s too late,” Maki pointed out. “We’ve already voted.”  
  
“You should listen to her,” Monokuma said. “If Monophanie is the blackened then the fifteen of you will be punished!”  
  
"We shouldn't be blaming Monophanie," Kokichi remarked. "We should be thanking her. Afterall, if it wasn't for Monophanie, we'd all be dead..."  
  
It was an awful realisation; Monophanie's intervention stopped everyone from drinking the tea.  She'd saved their lives, although, Kirumi had paid the ultimate price.  
  
“Well, we’ve wasted enough time on that,” Monokuma concluded, bringing their conversation to a close. “There’s only one thing left to do now…”  
  
“The punishment…” Kaede whispered.  
  
“Remember,” Angie said, with a warm smile. “It’s never too late, Atua will welcome all of you, whenever you feel that it’s your time.”  
  
“I’ve prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Artist, Angie Yonaga!” Monokuma roared, bearing his teeth for all to see. His eyes were filled with pure evil as he announced the punishment. “Is everyone ready? It’s punishment timeeeee!”

 

**PAINT THE TOWN RED**

**  
Before the young artist has time to process what is happening, a crane lowers itself down from the ceiling and clasps its metal hooks around her throat. Her face pales, as she instantly finds herself struggling to breathe. She is dragged out of the courtroom at a terrifyingly fast speed, into a separate room. Her classmates follow after her, not wanting to let their friend go.**

**Inside the mysterious room is a gigantic canvas, at least ten times her size. It rests on a wooden easel, which towers over the rest of the students, like a skyscraper. Angie is thrown against it with strong force. Her body hits the canvas with a loud thud, likely to result in some vicious bruising.**

 

**Monokuma appears, hoisted by a crane of his own. In a far more comfortable position, the crane is hooked around his back, allowing him to ‘fly’ across the room. With Monokuma in sight, Angie’s crane let's go, allowing her to breathe once again. However, this does not come without consequence, because Angie begins to slide down the canvas, at a rather alarming speed.**

 

****Monokuma intervenes to stop her from falling any further.** Armed with a nail gun, he fires at the artist, shooting two sharp nails into the palms of her hands - preventing her from moving, as she is stapled to the canvas. Angie winces, and blood begins to spill from her cuts, staining the canvas. Monokuma fires again, aiming two more at her legs, further cementing Angie in place. At this point, Angie wails in pain. Unfortunately for her, Monokuma’s fun is only just beginning. He disappears temporarily and returns sporting a red beret, whilst holding a giant paintbrush, its size matching that of the canvas.**

**It doesn’t take the students long to notices that this gigantic brush is different from usual; its brush made of razor-sharp blades. With a cruel, merciless smile, Monokuma aims his brush at his muse, and begins to paint. The sharp blades come into contact with Angie’s delicate skin, cutting her instantly. In one simple stroke, Monokuma has managed to slice through her arms, staining the canvas even further.  
  
**

**The headmaster goes for a second stroke; Angie’s legs his target this time. Her screams are unbearable to listen to, as the blade tears through her skin. Relentless, Monokuma keeps going: aiming for her arms once again, before cutting her stomach, followed by her chest.  
  
**

**Losing a lot of blood at an incredibly alarming pace, Angie begins to weaken. Her screams quieten down; she’s using the last of her energy trying to survive. Aware that his victim is at the end of her tether, Monokuma decides that his masterpiece is practically complete. To silence her for good, he makes one final move, flicking his brush across her throat. One swift movement brings the end to a life that was Angie Yonaga’s.  
  
**

**The punishment is over, or so it seems. Monokuma is lowered down by the crane, the lethal paintbrush still in hand. He reaches the floor, a satisfied expression plastered across his face. As his furry feet touch the ground, he lets go of his paintbrush. Monokid seizes this opportunity and violently shoves his brother, Monodam, in its direction. Monodam goes flying and the blade impales his straight through the chest. It shatters him completely, exposing his robotics inside. He may not have organs, but whatever was inside is completely destroyed.  
  
**


	7. Exploring the Academy (2.1)

Breakfast the next morning was noticeably different, but not in a good way. It felt eerily quiet without Angie discussing Atua, and Shuichi missed the smell of Kirumi’s amazing cooking. Two people were gone; two lives lost...and it showed. In such a short space of time, Shuichi had really grown fond of his classmates. It wasn’t like losing two strangers, he’d lost two friends. 

It was the first time the students had seen each other since the class trial. After its dreadful ending, everyone had gone straight to bed to catch up on some much-needed sleep. Shuichi was horrified at everything that had happened, but he couldn't deny just how grateful he was that the fire alarms were over and he had permission to sleep during the day again. The trial had finished around lunchtime, but Shuichi managed to sleep all through the day and into the night; waking for the occasional bathroom break. It showed just how much sleep he needed to catch up on, after Monokuma’s draining motive.

It was now the next morning, a brand new day, a fresh start. Although, the atmosphere was anything but positive. Fourteen glum faces sat around the dining table, not a single smile in the room. There was no fresh orange juice on the table, nor the napkins that Kirumi would fold into swans. It made the dining hall feel emotionless and empty, stripped of any character or personality. The charm that Kirumi brought to breakfast each morning had disappeared.

Speaking of disappearance...there was no sign of the crime either. No body, no blood, no teacups. It was like the murder had never happened at all. Monokuma must have organised a master cleanup. 

The hardest pill to swallow was that if Kirumi hadn’t tested the tea, Shuichi would be dead. In fact, everyone would be dead. It almost felt like Shuichi was sitting on borrowed time, attending a breakfast that he wasn’t supposed to. Monophanie had saved his life. Without her interference, things would be very different. 

“Is anyone else going to address the elephant in the room?” Kokichi asked, the first to speak.

“I suppose we have to accept that yesterday happened.” Tsumugi sighed. "I just hate thinking about it."

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about the trial, I was talking about Miu!” Kokichi exclaimed. “Ya know, because she resembles an elephant. Nee-heehee."

“H-hey! C-cut it out.” Miu whimpered, bothered by Kokichi’s remark. “I don’t look like an elephant...do I?”

“No, of course you don’t, Miu.” Kaede said kindly.

“Pfft, that means nothing coming from you.” Miu responded rudely.

Kokichi’s mean joke aside, they did need to talk about what had happened yesterday. It was horrible to think about, but sitting there in silence pretending that nothing had happened was only going to make everyone feel worse.

“Angie’s death...so brutal.” Gonta whispered.

The very mention of Angie's execution made Shuichi's blood run cold; its brutality mentally scarring. He knew that he was never going to unsee it, but desperately wished he could erase it from his memory.

“When Monokuma said we risked facing execution...I wasn’t expecting somethin' like that. ” Kaito remarked, his eyes wide. “It was like somethin' outta a horror movie, but a million times worse.”

“We should take extra care not to break any rules.” Keebo said.

“I don’t ever want to see something like that again.” Tenko squirmed. “I can’t even begin to imagine what it must’ve felt like…”

“We don’t have to worry about executions if people stop killing.” Himiko reminded them. “If we live together peacefully, no one else has to get hurt. It’s what Atua wants.”

“A-Atua?” Tenko’s eyes darted to Himiko, her expression panicked.

“Atua wants us to live on in peace and harmony.” Himiko nodded. “Even though Angie isn’t here to guide us, she is watching down on us with him.”

“I, uh...I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk about Atua.” Kaito frowned.

“Why not?” Himiko asked.

“Are you fuckin’ stupid?!” Miu interrupted. “Angie used that made up God of hers as an excuse to try and kill us all.”

“That isn’t true!” Himiko insisted. “Angie was trying to save us!"

“Yeah, Atua is a kind God.” Tsumugi agreed. “It’s plain to see.”

“Tsumugi too?!” Tenko gulped.

Tsumugi smiled back at her. “Himiko and I really connected with Atua during our prayer circles with Angie. We want to see his name live on.”

“Atua’s spirit lives within us, as well as Angie’s.” Himiko said.

“Atua and Angie are kind.” Gonta added with a smile.

“Am I the only one here who’s uncomfortable?!” Kokichi said. “I mean, did you forget that Angie started the killing game?”

“It’s Kirumi we should be remembering here; she’s the victim.” Tenko frowned.

“It’s not Angie’s fault,” Himiko insisted. “She was trying to help us.”

Tenko wore a puzzled expression. “Why are you defending her, Himiko?”

“Maybe you should join our next prayer circle, Tenko.” Tsumugi suggested. “Then you might understand.”

Rantaro raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to keep doing those?”

“Of course.” Tsumugi nodded. “Just because Angie isn’t here, it doesn’t mean we have to stop speaking to Atua.”

Shuichi was surprised to hear the girls talk about Atua so passionately. He presumed that Tsumugi and Himiko had joined in with the prayer circles as a means of distraction, but they were still taking it rather seriously.

“No more Atua bullshit,” Miu scowled. “I don’t want another mass suicide bein’ organised.”

“Anyway, enough about Atua,” Rantaro said, tactfully changing the subject before things got heated. “We should probably think about making some breakfast. I’m starving!”

“It feels like we haven’t eaten in forever!” Kaito exclaimed, glancing down at his stomach.

“When you think about it, we haven’t,” Kaede said. “Nobody ate anything at all yesterday.”

“That’s right, we went straight to the trial…” Korekiyo remarked.

Shuichi could feel his stomach rumbling, crying out for something to eat. Having slept through the day previous, he’d managed to skip all three meals. Although, he doubted he would have had much of an appetite yesterday anyway.

“Oh, actually, that reminds me!” Tsumugi exclaimed, jumping up from her seat in excitement. “Himiko and I have an announcement.”

“I thought we moving on from Atua.” Ryoma muttered.

“This is about breakfast, not Atua,” Tsumugi corrected him, with a smile. “Himiko, would you like to tell everyone?”

“Nyeh, you can.” Himiko said, offloading the responsibility.

“Since Kirumi is no longer around to help us, Himiko and I have decided that we’re going to prepare breakfast for everyone in the mornings now!” Tsumugi revealed. “I know Atua would be proud!”

“When did you plan this?” Tenko scowled, arms folded.

“Yesterday, after the trial,” Himiko replied.

“That’s a really sweet gesture, but are you sure you want to cook for us every morning?” Kaede asked. “It’s a pretty big responsibility.”

“Nyeh…” Himiko shrugged.

“You don’t seem very enthusiastic about it…” Kaito pointed out.

“Himiko’s going to be my assistant,” Tsumugi elaborated. “I suppose I can do most of the cooking. I’m not an incredible chef, but I can make the basics.”

“Wait, let me help too!” Tenko exclaimed. “I...I can be your other assistant. I need to make sure that Himiko doesn’t burn herself in the kitchen."

“Of course, Tenko.” Tsumugi smiled. “Your help will be gladly appreciated.”

Tenko did not return the smile.

With no time to waste, and many mouths to feed, the three girls left their places at the table and headed into the kitchen to begin preparations.

Once they were out of earshot, Rantaro voiced his opinion. “You know what they say, too many cooks spoil the broth....”

Shuichi had picked up on the awkward interaction also. Tenko seemed to be put out that Himiko and Tsumugi were doing things without her. Hopefully, they could work together over breakfast and ease some of the tension.

After ten minutes or so, the girls emerged from the kitchen. Tsumugi was armed with a large plate of bread, which she placed in the centre of the table.

Tsumugi clapped her hands together, proud of her efforts. “Breakfast is served!”

Shuichi eyed up the plate suspiciously. He didn’t want to sound ungrateful, but it was pretty disappointing. No spread, no butter...just bread. They had literally taken a loaf of bread and put it on a plate. What they’d been doing in the kitchen for ten minutes, he had no idea.

“This is literally just bread?” Kokichi frowned, with no attempt to be tactful. “It's not even toasted…”

“Well...I’m not really sure how you use the equipment in the kitchen,” Tsumugi admitted sheepishly. “But I’m sure over the next few days I’ll figure it out!”

There wasn’t much to say about Tsumugi’s breakfast; Shuichi was literally just eating bread. Some butter or jam would have been nice, but that seemed to have slipped Tsumugi’s mind and her assistants weren’t helping either.

Shuichi was halfway through his second slice, when the door to the dining hall creaked open. He exhaled a deep sigh, aware of who was joining them. Monokuma decided to bless them with his presence, springing into the dining hall with his four surviving Kubs.

“Geez, why the long faces?” Monokuma pouted. “It’s like someone died or somethin’.”

“Tasteful…” Rantaro muttered under his breath.

“Go away.” Korekiyo frowned. “It’s too early for your bravado.”

“Yeah piss off will ya!” Miu agreed.

“I’m in mourning too you know!” Monokuma exclaimed. “I lost my precious Monodam yesterday. My heart is as raw as uncooked meat.”

“You can’t expect us to feel sorry for you,” Maki said coldly. “If you hadn’t executed Angie, he'd still be alive.”

“It’s not Daddy’s fault!” Monophanie insisted, jumping to her father’s defence. “Monokid murdered Monodam!”

“It’s not murder, I was doin’ us all a favour,” Monokid said. “Monodam was annoying as shit. He was walkin’ around with a halo above his head.”

“Is it bad that I haven’t even noticed he’s missing?” Monotaro asked.

“That’s cuz he only ever said two words.” Monosuke said.

“Aren’t you going to put Monokid through a class trial?!” Tenko put forward. “He committed a crime after all…”

“Murder betweens Kubs doesn’t count as part of the killing game,” Monokuma replied. "So there's no need for a class trial." 

“That makes it sound like you’re encouraging them to kill each other…” Kaede pointed out.

“Sounds like lazy parenting to me.” Rantaro remarked. “One rule for us and another for them.”

“Why are you even here?” Korekiyo sighed. “We’re trying to eat in peace.”

“Wow, my own students have no respect for me.” Monokuma pretended to sniffle. “And to think, I was here to give you a prize…”

Kokichi was eager. “A prize?”

“Four prizes actually.” Monokuma went on. “But, if you want me to go, I will…”

Shuichi could see from a mile off that Monokuma was trying to use reverse psychology on them. Prizes sounded too good to be true. Whatever Monokuma was offering could be part of a new motive.

“That’s a bit twisted,” Kaito spoke up. “Why would we want a prize for our friends dying?”

“You make it sound so bad when you say it like that!” Monokuma laughed. “Consider this a prize for successfully clearing the class trial.”

“Show me the prizes!” Kokichi demanded, stomping his foot like a spoiled child.

“With pleasure!” Monokuma smirked. “Kubs!”

Grinning with excitement, Monokid roared. “Look at all these fuckin’ prizes we’ve got for you!”

“An Ocarina!” Monophanie said, presenting them with the yellow instrument.

“A Dragon’s Gem!” Monotaro revealed.

“An Ancient as fuck Passport.” Monokid offered.

“And I’ve got some Hexagonal Crank from a zombie game for youse.” Monosuke concluded.

“What an exciting bunch of shit!” Monokid laughed. 

Shuichi scrunched his face at the items; it looked like a load of junk.

“Why are you giving us these?” Maki stared at Monokuma. “Couldn’t you find a trash can?”

“Yeah, I don’t want any of this crap.” Kaito protested.

“Hmmm,” Monokuma pretended to appear deep in thought, but his acting skills were poor. “I wonder what these items are for…”

Monophanie began to speak. “But Daddy, you know that they-”

With a sharp nudge, Monokid cut her off. “Shut up, Monophanie, or I'll rip out your tongue!”

"Eeeek!" Monophanie shrieked and instantly did as she was told. "P-please don't kill me like Monodam."

“Perhaps there’s a way to use those items without knowing what they’re for?” Monokuma teased, ignoring his daughter. “You guys have got a lot of time on your hands, so you’ve really got nothing to lose. Kubs, hand out the prizes!”

On Monokuma’s command, the Kubs distributed the presents between the students. Ryoma was given the Ancient Passport, Tsumugi was gifted the Ocarina, Kaede had the Hexagonal Wrench, and Maki ended up with the Dragon’s Gem.

“Who knows,” Monokuma smirked. “You might even find some new rooms…”

With that, Monokuma left in a hurry, taking his four Kubs with him. This was likely to stop the students from asking any questions. If they wanted answers, they would have to figure things out for themselves.

“New rooms…” Tsumugi pondered, admiring the object in her hands.

“I wonder if these items can unlock some more of the academy.” Shuichi proposed. “The building looks gigantic from the outside, but we’ve only got three floors so far - if you include the basement. There must be more.”

“It does seem a lot bigger on the outside.” Keebo agreed.

“It’s like the TARDIS.” Tsumugi said.

“Ah, you must be right!” Kaede exclaimed. “We haven’t found all of the talent development labs yet either.”

“You know, I’ve seen some rather unusual looking features around the school,” Rantaro admitted. “Maybe they act as some kind of key.”

“How unusual,” Korekiyo mused.

“Why don’t we split up and see if we can figure out where these items go?” Kaede suggested.

“Sounds like a plan.” Ryoma nodded.

Splitting up seemed like a good idea. As much as Shuichi wanted to investigate all four items, it would take too long with fourteen people traipsing around at once. Besides, with some very strong characters in the group, he could see things getting heated very quickly. The operation would work a lot smoother if they were separated.

"Once we've finished, let's all meet back here," Kaede put forward. "That way, we can share what we've found." 

“I guess it makes sense to team up with the people who already have the items,” Rantaro said logically. “Tsumugi, Ryoma, Kaede, and Maki.”

“I’m so excited to have the Ocarina!” Tsumugi’s eyes lit up. “It reminds me of one of my favourite video games. It’s called-”

Kokichi cut her short. “No one cares, Tsumugi.”

“Tsumugi, I’ll come with you,” Himiko volunteered. “But I don’t know how much exploring I’ll be doing…”

Despite their long rest, Himiko was still yawning.

“I’ll come too!” Tenko shouted, a little too desperately. “If Himiko’s going, then I have to keep her company.”

“As a request, I would like to join Ryoma and the Ancient Passport,” Korekiyo said. “It is of particular interest to me.”

“Sure.” Ryoma shrugged, appearing unphased.

Shuichi wasn’t surprised that Korekiyo was following the relic.

“I don’t have a preference in items, but I’ll join Kaede.” Rantaro said. “Shuichi, are you coming too?”

“Sure.” Shuichi smiled; excited to go with his friends.

He didn’t want to involve himself in Himiko's friendship triangle, where he would likely be ignored, and Korekiyo’s enthusiasm for the Ancient Passport would definitely be annoying. Maki didn’t have a group yet, but her unwelcoming eyes spoke for themselves.

"Welcome to the dream team," Rantaro grinned playfully.

“It looks like we’ve sorted our group then!” Kaede exclaimed, holding the Wrench with pride.

“Oi, not so fast!” Miu snapped. “If you three horn bags think you’re going off together unsupervised, you’ve got another thing coming!”

Shuichi didn't follow. "E-excuse me?”

“I know what you three are planning!” Miu narrowed her eyes.

“Are you accusing us of plotting a murder?” Rantaro confronted her.

“Murder? No! You three are gonna go off and have an orgy!” Miu claimed, her tone completely serious.

Kaede's jaw dropped in horror. "How can you even say something so disgusting?"

"If that's the plan, I certainly didn't get the memo." Rantaro rolled his eyes.

“Lie all you want!” Miu scoffed. “I know how hard Kaede’s nipples get when you’re all spending time together.”

“M-Miu!” Kaede squealed, as her face flushed scarlet. “That’s not true!”

Miu folded her arms. “You can’t fool me.”

“Looks like Miu’s coming with us then…” Rantaro said through gritted teeth, admitting defeat.

“Great…” Shuichi sighed. Perhaps he should have chosen team Maki after all.

“Well, Maki, you don’t have anyone in your group yet, so I’ll come with you.” Kaito offered.

“Don’t bother.” Maki shook her head. “I’m going alone.”

“You can’t.” Kaito protested.

“I can do whatever I want.” Maki glared at him.

Kokichi intervened. “In your own time, sure. But you aren’t taking the Dragon’s Gem by yourself. You could be up to something!”

“Sorry Maki, but I agree,” Korekiyo spoke up. “This concerns the whole group, so you shouldn’t really go by yourself.”

“Fine…” Maki sighed. “I’ll take Keebo with me.”

Kaito was deeply offended by this. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "I offered first. I was being nice. What about me?!"

“I don’t care who comes, but I’m leaving now.” with the Dragon's Gem in hand, Maki left her seat and headed towards the door.

Keebo hurried after her. “I better go then!”

“I’m still comin',” Kaito said, as he joined them.

“This seems too good to miss,” Kokichi smirked, leaving his seat also. “I wanna see if Kaito gets slapped!” with that, he ran off after them.

This left only one person without a group.

“Gonta, you still need to choose a group,” Tsumugi instructed.

“No degenerate males are welcome in our group!” Tenko insisted, her tone hostile. "So you can't come with us."

“Why don’t you join me and Ryoma?” Korekiyo suggested. “Only two of us are exploring the Ancient Passport.”

Gonta nodded enthusiastically. "Gonta join Ryoma and Korekiyo!"

With all four groups decided, the students separated, branching off in different directions in an attempt to learn the secrets of the school. It took a lot of searching, and walking in circles, but Shuichi and his group finally made their discovery outside, by the exceptionally high gate opposite the dormitories. Using the hexagonal wrench, they opened the gate, revealing a spiral staircase.

Their discovery led them to a courtyard, which contained two tall buildings. Shuichi found himself standing on a pathway, which was surrounded by water, so he took extra care where he stood.

“This looks exciting!” Kaede exclaimed.

The first of the two buildings was glitzy and glamorous, surrounded by bright lights, that were projecting into the sky. The massive lettering on the roof labelled this building as a casino, revealing its identity before they’d even stepped inside.

“A casino...I wasn’t expecting that.” Rantaro scratched his head.

“Me either,” Shuichi said. “They certainly never had one at my old school.”

Across from the Casino was the second building. A neon sign rested on the roof, which read ‘Hotel Kumasutra’. There were plenty of windows on the outside, which seemed fitting for a hotel. However, Shuichi couldn’t quite understand why there was a hotel when they already had dorm rooms.

Kaede looked to the group for their opinions. "Where should we search first?"

The Casino was closest to them, but Miu bossily led the way to the Hotel. “Follow me!” 

In front of the hotel, there was a pavement sign, which Shuichi only noticed upon getting closer. It described the ‘Love Suite’ with some details on pricing. It didn’t take Shuichi long to realise the hotel’s true purpose. 

Kaede’s eyes widened. “Is...is this what I think it is?”

“I...I think so.” Shuichi grimaced. “A Love Suite is pretty self-explanatory…”

“Let’s go inside!” Miu insisted. She was so eager, that Shuichi swore he saw drool emerge from the corners of her mouth.

Rantaro declined the offer. “Nah, I’m good.”

“Aww come on!” Miu protested. “Don’t be a bunch of wet fuckin’ blankets.” 

“I thought you came with us to keep things clean.” Shuichi reminded her. “Now you want us to go inside the Love Suite?”

“Well aren’t you a shit detective Pooichi!” Miu huffed. “You’re supposed to explore everything! What if there’s a vital clue in there?"

She made a fair point; there could be some important information inside the building. However, Shuichi knew that Miu was only saying this to try and persuade him; she didn’t care about clues. “I...I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to look inside.”

“You can, I’m staying out here.” Rantaro kept his distance. “I’m not going anywhere remotely sexual with _her_ around.” he glanced warily at Miu.

“W-what?” Miu shrivelled into herself. “D-don’t you think I’m attractive? W-why don’t you want to go in there with me?”

“I’ll take a look by myself.” Shuichi volunteered. He didn’t bother asking Kaede to join him, as it would only set Miu off.

“Are you sure, Shuichi?” Rantaro asked.

“For the sake of fully exploring this place, I’ll do it.” Shuichi nodded. “But on one condition...Miu stays out here.”

“That’s not fair!” Miu cried.

“I thought you cared about finding clues,” Shuichi challenged her.

"Ugh, just go!" Miu rolled her eyes, aware that she didn’t have a strong enough argument. "I don't wanna be trapped alone with Pooichi anyway."

Shuichi stepped forward, approaching the front door to the hotel. However, before he’d even grabbed the handle, an angry bear appeared and stopped him in his path.

“Ahem, aren’t you forgetting something?” Monokuma outstretched his paw, as if he was expecting something.

Shuichi was clueless. “Uh…?”

“Can you read?” Monokuma asked, patronisingly.

“I'd like to think so…” Shuichi quipped back.

“Well, you obviously can’t.” Monokuma snapped. “Prices for the hotel are clearly listed on the sign. You've gotta pay to get in.”

“Oh, I know. I just thought I’d be able to look around the lobby for free.” Shuichi argued politely. “You would in any other hotel.” 

“This isn’t just any other hotel,” Monokuma grumbled. “If you want to get inside, you pay.”

“How am I supposed to pay you?” Shuichi frowned. “None of us have any money.”

“You speak like that’s supposed to be my problem,” Monokuma said, displaying no sympathy. 

“I mean, you probably stole our money from us before we got here.” Rantaro joined in.

“I’m starting to think the hotel is abandoned inside.” Shuichi theorised. “That’s why Monokuma’s charging us to go in, because he knows we don’t have the money.”

“That’s not true at all!” Monokuma denied. “I actually put a lot of work into my hotel. Besides, there is a way to get a suite without money.” 

Shuichi gave an exasperated sigh. “Which is?” 

“A key can be won at the casino,” Monokuma replied, not skirting around the truth for once.

“This really sounds like a lot of work just to get inside the hotel.” Rantaro remarked.

"No one's forcing you to win it." Monokuma retorted. "You Millenials are so lazy!"

“Well then, I suppose this is a good opportunity to check out the casino.” Kaede said, drawing their conversation with Monokuma to a close.

“This has been a huge waste of time.” Miu sulked. “I’m bored.” she walked away in the direction of the Casino, inspiring the others to turn their backs on Monokuma too. Thankfully, the bear didn't follow them.

The Casino was a lot more entertaining than the hotel, mainly because the students could actually get inside. There were a handful of different games for them to play, where they could win ‘Monocoins’. The coins could be exchanged for prizes, but nothing too exciting. Not to mention the exchange rate for prizes was rather high; Shuichi couldn’t see himself spending hours at the slot machine in return for some tat. He knew things could be boring around the academy, but hopefully never _that_ boring.

The four students noticed the Love Hotel key among the prizes, just as Monokuma had said. Miu sat down at a slot machine straight away and began inserting tokens, desperate to win the precious key.

“I think we’ve seen all that there is to see around here,” Shuichi concluded. “We should probably go and check on the others.”

“You can go, but I’m staying here.” Miu shook her head, refusing to take her eyes off of the slots. “That key is mine.”

“Can we really trust you around the machines?” Kaede frowned. “You might modify them because of your talent and cheat!”

“It’s none of your business if I do, bitch tits.” Miu snapped.

“I think I better stay here with Miu…” Kaede said. “I don’t want her cheating. We might all get in trouble with Monokuma if that were to happen.”

“It’s probably for the best,” Rantaro nodded. “Imagine if Monokuma brought back the fire alarms because Miu cheated at his games.”

“Good idea,” Shuichi agreed. “Rantaro, shall we go and find the others?”

"Sorry Shuichi, but it doesn’t seem fair leaving Kaede alone with Miu.” Rantaro said. “I think I better stay here. But maybe you could report back to us what you find?”

“Of course!” Shuichi nodded. He wouldn’t want to be left alone with Miu either.

Venturing off alone didn’t bother Shuichi, as it was better than spending a second longer with Miu and her vulgar comments. He could still hear her swearing as he walked towards the spiral staircase; her voice really did travel.

 

***

 

Tsumugi, Tenko, and Himiko had worked together with the Ocarina to uncover a swimming pool. Shuichi found them in the new location, which could be accessed from outside, just to the right of the main building. The smell of chlorine flooded his nose as soon as he stepped inside.

“A swimming pool huh…” Shuichi remarked, making his presence known. “At least this makes more sense than a Casino.”

“Ah, hello, Shuichi!” Tsumugi greeted him. She was sat on one of the many sun loungers that surrounded the pool. Himiko shared the seat, whilst Tenko sat opposite them, appearing most disgruntled.

Shuichi headed over to the sunloungers, mindful not to slip near the pool's edge.

“Look what we found!” Himiko said.

Shuichi took some time to properly study the room, which is when it occurred to him just how fancy this pool was. “I’ve never seen a school pool that’s _this_ nice before.”

“It’s like we’re at a five-star hotel!” Tenko agreed. “The water looks incredible!”

Shuichi peered over the edge and into the pool. “That’s a pretty big pool. It’s a shame there isn’t much water in it though…”. It didn’t even look halfway full.

“Actually, there’s quite a lot of water in there,” Tsumugi replied. “The sides of the pool are just very high, which creates the illusion.”

Shuichi looked closer. “Oh, you’re right. I can see that now. They should probably put a sign up somewhere; that’s a pretty big hazard.”

“I agree!” Tsumugi nodded. “If someone fell in by accident, it would be really dangerous.”

"By the way, the Monokubs came by and gave us a bunch of rules about the pool.” Tenko revealed. “I don’t want to share this information with a degenerate, but the Monokubs told me I had to. We aren’t allowed in the pool during nighttime.”

"We're allowed in this room, just not in the water itself," Tsumugi clarified.

Himiko pointed to a sign on the wall. “The rules are written there, in case you forget.”

“I wonder why that rule exists.” Shuichi mused.

“The Monokubs didn’t really say,” Tsumugi replied. “But it’s plain to see that Monokuma is worried about our health and safety!”

“It doesn’t seem like a rule we have to worry about,” Shuichi noted. “I mean, who would want to go swimming in the middle of the night anyway?”

“Korekiyo probably would; he’s weird.” Tenko scorned.

Shuichi glanced over at the sign Himiko had pointed out and read over the complete list of rules.

_Swimming is prohibited at nighttime._

_Do not die from leg cramp._

_Do not die from slipping._

_Do not die from choking on your food._

Realistically, there was only one new rule that he had to abide too. The rest weren’t going to be an issue.

“Um, speaking of Korekiyo, I think he’s spying on us…” Tsumugi whispered, attempting to warn her friends, as she subtly pointed to the door.

Tenko spun around in an instance. “Korekiyo!! Are you snooping on us?!”

Korekiyo stood in the doorway, peering at the girls. “Ah yes, this must look rather inappropriate. I apologise and must insist that I was not spying on you; I simply came to share some news.”

Tenko narrowed her eyes. “I don't believe you, Degenerate.”

“What is it, Korekiyo?” Tsumugi asked, willing to hear him out.

“The ancient passport has led us to the discovery of Himiko’s lab,” Korekiyo revealed. “I have been sent to find you, Himiko.”

“My lab?” Himiko repeated.

“Indeed.” Korekiyo nodded.

“Himiko, that’s so exciting!” Tenko gasped, as she clapped her hands together in delight. “We have to go there, right now.”

"I shall lead the way." Korekiyo said.

 

***

 

 

Himiko’s lab was a magician’s paradise, with a variety of tricks and contraptions filling the room. They looked complex, and pretty dangerous too. There was a guillotine, a boiling cauldron, a box impaled with swords, and even a table with a giant saw running through the middle.

“Hey!” Gonta greeted them with an overexaggerated wave. Ryoma, who was by his side, gave a small nod.

“Woah, this is awesome!” Tenko exclaimed, admiring the room in all of its glory. “But be careful where you stand Himiko; I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I never realised magic could be so dangerous,” Tsumugi said, her eyes focused on the saw.

“This isn't real magic,” Himiko informed them. “These are just tricks.”

“Maybe there are some real spell books in here for you,” Tenko theorised.

“Maybe…” Himiko shrugged.

“I wonder if all of this is real,” Shuichi muttered, as he took everything in.

“Well obviously!” Tenko rolled her eyes. “You’re not hallucinating. Man, degenerates are so stupid.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Shuichi frowned. “The swords, for example, are they real, or is it all part of an illusion and they're made of plastic?”

“They’re real,” Himiko replied. “It would make the magic boring otherwise.”

“T-they’re real?” Gonta gasped. 

“Let me show you,” Himiko said. She approached the large box and pulled free one of the swords. She pointed the sword towards the carpet and dragged it across the floor, making a tear in the fabric.

“Those are real alright,” Ryoma said.

"We best be careful," Korekiyo remarked. "There are many potential weapons in this room."

"It's people like  _you_ we have to be aware of," Tenko snarled. 

"I understand that I may appear creepy, but I do not appreciate your prejudice, as I have never once tried to harm you," Korekiyo said, standing up for himself for once. Arms folded, he gave Tenko a disapproving stare. 

"Who knows? You might be plotting something." Tenko retorted.

Korekiyo sighed, aware that it wasn't worth the argument. "Your attitude will be your downfall..." he muttered, quiet enough that Tenko didn't hear.

"So, Himiko, does that means the saw is real too? And the guillotine?” Tsumugi asked in surprise.

Himiko nodded. “Both real.”

“We should keep an eye on these items,” Shuichi suggested. “Someone could use them to their advantage.”

"You're right!" Tenko nodded. "Himiko, I will stay here in your lab all day and night to make sure no one takes any of these dangerous items."

"Please don't," Himiko frowned. "I like to practise my magic in private."

"Y-you want to practise with these tricks?" Tenko gasped. "Himiko, no! That's far too dangerous. You might hurt yourself."

"You treat her like an incapable toddler..." Korekiyo said.

"Tenko, I perform tricks like this all the time," Himiko insisted. 

"She is the Ultimate Mage after all!" Tsumugi pointed out. 

"It's not that I don't trust you Himiko," Tenko reasoned. "But someone might meddle with your tricks to hurt you. Which is why I want to guard them for you." 

"I don't want you to guard them for me," Himiko argued. "I'm not a baby."

"But-" Tenko tried to protest, but Himiko refused to listen.

"Hey, Tsumugi!" Himiko called, as she turned her back on Tenko. "Come and look at this." she led her friend towards a cage of beautiful, white doves. 

Tenko flinched and Shuichi felt so uncomfortable that he had to make an excuse to leave. Tenko could be overbearing, but watching her be left out reminded him of when he'd always be chosen last for the sports team at school. He hated to see anyone be excluded and didn't wish to stand around any longer to witness it. 

"I'm going to see what the others are up to," he dismissed himself. "I'll catch up with you later."

No one wanted to join him, so Shuichi left the lab alone. He decided to go upstairs, to the second floor, to see if any new discoveries had been made there. As he reached the top of the stairs, he immediately noticed that the dragon statue had disappeared and a new hallway had opened up there instead. Logic suggested that this was the result of the Dragon's Gem Maki's team had been in charge of. The new space really opened up the floor, making it feel a lot wider than it previously was.

As he eagerly walked down the new corridor, he heard the sound of voices. Shuichi hurried along, wondering who he would find. To his surprise, he came across Rantaro and Kaede, who were engaged in conversation outside of a mysterious door with a purple frame.

“Did you get bored of babysitting?” Shuichi grinned.

“The Monokubs actually came to our rescue,” Kaede explained, laughing as she did so. “They overheard our conversation and thought Miu was trying to cheat, so they wanted to keep an eye on her.”

“We saw our opportunity and ran,” Rantaro smirked.

“We visited the swimming pool on our way over here,” Kaede said. “It seems really nice!”

“I think it’s a good addition to the school,” Shuichi nodded. “We could be here for a very long time, so it’s a bonus having something else to do.”

“Have you found any other new locations?” Rantaro asked.

“Himiko’s lab,” Shuichi replied. “It’s back downstairs.”

“Oh, we must’ve missed it,” Kaede said. “We came straight up here.”

“What’s behind the door?” Shuichi asked, since the door itself didn’t give away any clues.

“We have no idea,” Rantaro replied. “It's locked.”

“Another locked door?” Shuichi sighed. “That’s frustrating. I thought we were supposed to be uncovering new secrets.”

No sooner had Shuichi finished speaking, Monokuma appeared out of nowhere, having clearly listened in to their conversation. “Don’t sound so negative, desperation looks so unattractive on you Shuichi!” the bear said.

“Can you stop spying on us?” Shuichi frowned.

“You criminals don’t deserve privacy.” Monokuma retorted. “Besides, I’m here with some good news.”

Shuichi was doubtful. He couldn’t see himself being in agreement with Monokuma’s idea of ‘good news’.

“This door is locked, but it won’t be for much longer,” Monokuma said. “It was actually locked for a very good reason, but I’ve since changed my mind.”

“What’s the reason?” Rantaro inquired.

“This room is a talent development lab of a deceased student,” Monokuma informed them.

“Kirumi’s lab…” Kaede whispered.

“Or Angie’s.” Rantaro pointed out.

“Until now, I planned to keep the labs of deceased students off limits.” Monokuma continued.

“So why the change of heart?” Rantaro asked.

“Cuz I put a lot of time into these labs and I want the validation,” Monokuma replied.

Shuichi frowned. “That’s a bit shallow…”

“What do you care?” Monokuma snapped. “Do you wanna see the lab or not?!”

“No, sorry, we do…” Shuichi apologised. He had to be polite to Monokuma if he wanted to get inside.

“Well then,” Monokuma said curtly. He turned his back on the students, and from inside his scrunched palm, he retrieved a small bronze key. He stood on his tiptoes in an attempt to reach the lock, but he was far too short. “Hmph.”

“Would you like me to open it for you?” Kaede offered.

Monokuma looked her up and down, taking a moment to consider his decision. “Hmmm. Fine, you can do it. But you better give back the key straight away. This is the master key for the whole school; if you steal it, you’ll be in _bigggggg_ trouble.”

“I promise I’ll give it straight back,” Kaede insisted.

Willing to put his trust in Kaede, Monokuma handed over the key. He watched the pianist like a hawk as she unlocked the door.

With Monokuma distracted, Shuichi leant over and whispered in Rantaro’s ear. “A master key...we should remember that.”

Rantaro whispered back. “Definitely.”

They couldn’t discuss the key any further, because Kaede had finished opening the door. She immediately returned the key, to ensure that Monokuma didn’t punish her.

“Let’s see what’s inside,” Kaede said.

With one gentle push of the handle, the door opened. The three students eagerly entered the room, whilst Monokuma took the opportunity to leave unnoticed.

The mysterious talent lab was spacious, with an antique feel running throughout. The centre of the room was occupied by a large dining table, where three mannequins sat, dressed in all of their fineries. On the far left of the room was a storage space, where the students discovered vacuums and washing machines.

“I’m glad to see there are washing machines,” Shuichi said. “I’ve been wondering what would happen when we run out of clean clothes.”

“There are no doubts about it, this is Kirumi’s lab,” Rantaro remarked. “It’s got that Victorian feel to it, ya know?”

"Yeah, this certainly isn't Angie's," Shuichi agreed.

“It’s a shame Kirumi isn’t here,” Kaede sighed. “She really would have loved it. It seems perfect for her." 

Shuichi felt a pang of guilt, because he'd been too busy admiring the washing machines to think of Kirumi. But perhaps this was his brain's way of trying to cope with the trauma, to block out the dark thoughts. Because thinking of the reality of their situation only made him feel worse. Kirumi didn’t live long enough to even see her own talent development lab and that thought depressed him deeply.

“I’m glad Monokuma let us inside,” Kaede continued. “In her lab, a part of Kirumi’s spirit is kept alive.”

“That’s a nice way to think about it.” Shuichi smiled.

“Sorry to change the subject, but are those mannequins giving anyone else the creeps?” Rantaro pointed. “Their vacant gaze is so...unnerving.”

“I don’t like them either,” Shuichi shuddered. “I half expect them to move when my back is turned.”

“Now that you’ve said, they’re scaring me too!” Kaede exclaimed.

“Maybe we should get out here…” Rantaro suggested. “We’ve seen everything we need to.”

“Good idea.” Shuichi nodded eagerly, as he hurried for the exit.

Free from the creepy mannequins, the trio carried on down the hallway, which is where they came across another new door. The door was decorated with a butterfly design, which made it easy to guess who’s lab this was.

“Ah, this must be Gonta’s lab,” Shuichi said, as he studied the door. “You..you don’t think there are real bugs inside, do you?" the fear in his voice was apparent.

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that,” Kaede hesitated. “Let’s be cautious, just in case.”

With nervous hands, Shuichi carefully opened the door to Gonta’s lab. Since no spiders came running out, he deemed it safe and headed inside to investigate further.

Gonta's lab was cheerful and bright, with a mini forest towards the back of the room. However, Shuichi couldn't appreciate the beautiful nature, because he had spotted the boxes of bug cages that occupied the entire length of the wall. 

"Ahhh!" Shuichi yelped. "T-there's r-real bugs in here!" 

"I-I don't think they can get out..." Kaede said, but the wobble in her voice didn't offer much confidence. 

"That’s way too many bugs for my liking!” Shuichi exclaimed, eyeing up the wall in horror.

“We should go and tell Gonta about his lab, so we can get out of here,” Kaede suggested, as she slowly began backing out of the room.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” Rantaro said. “Gonta might keep us here to look at all the different bugs.”

“Oh, you’re right,” Kaede shuddered. “Maybe it’s best we let him find it for himself. That’ll be far more rewarding for him…”

"Yup, I agree!" Shuichi nodded, as he bolted for the exit. 

The trio left the lab and slammed the door shut behind them. The bugs were now out of sight and that's where Shuichi wanted them to remain.

"I really don't know what Gonta sees in them," Shuichi mumbled, as he shook himself down, just to ensure no stray bugs had made their way onto him.

"Me either," Rantaro said. "But we can  _never_ let him know that. He'd prolly try to put us through exposure therapy or somethin'." 

Eager to put some distance between themselves and the bugs, the trio continued on down the new hallway. This is where they came across another staircase, which presumably led to the third floor. 

"It looks like the only way is up!" Kaede grinned, as she led the way. 

Shuichi took a moment to appreciate how much nicer things were without Miu tagging along. 

The third floor appeared identical to the rest of the school, with overgrown plants everywhere, and barbed wire still covering all of the windows. Shuichi didn't see the purpose of the barbed wire, because the students could access the outside of the school through the main door. It was probably just part of Monokuma's 'creepy criminal' aesthetic. 

They soon came to another talent development lab. The door was decorated with an illustration of a tennis racket.

Rantaro pointed out the obvious. "Looks like we've found Ryoma's lab."  

"I didn't expect to find so many new locations," Shuichi admitted, as he reached for the handle. 

They let themselves into the lab, which as expected, was Ryoma's. The lab was essentially a giant tennis court, with a net running through the middle of the room. Tennis balls were scattered everywhere, and there were far too many to count. There were some rather scary looking machines on the court, although Shuichi suspected that these were just automatic ball throwers. 

"This is a really nice court!" Kaede admired, as she walked along the edge. "I wonder if Ryoma fancies a game..."

"I wouldn't count on it," Rantaro replied. "He doesn't seem the most social person, and he hasn't mention tennis once."

"Hmm, that's true," Kaede said. "But maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask."

"Hey, look, there's another door over there!" Shuichi noted, pointing in its direction. "I wonder what's inside."

"There's only one way to find out," Kaede said.

And so, they went to investigate the second door. It had an unusual handle, which was shaped like a wheel. Shuichi took it upon himself to turn the mechanism, which took more effort than he'd expected, due to how stiff it was. That being said, it wasn't an impossible job, and he managed to get the door open.

Shuichi wasn't sure what to expect behind the door, but he saw made his jaw drop. "This..."

"...Woah," Rantaro said, breathlessly.

Behind the door was a dark, grey derelict room, neglected of any attention. On the far right of the room were three individual prison cells, with real iron bars. There was an oversized sink, with rusty taps, and a selection of handcuffs hung up on the wall. Several traditional prison uniforms were on display too. The final feature was a closed window. 

"Is...is this some kind of jail?" Kaede mused.

"We are in school for criminals," Rantaro pointed out.

"I know, but...if this was for us, don't you think the entire school would be like this?" Shuichi put forward. 

"Yeah, that's true..." Rantaro nodded.

"If I'm being honest, this is what I was expecting when I found out we were in a school for criminals," Kaede admitted.

"Me too," Rantaro said. "Seeing this makes me appreciate how things actually are..."

"This is connected to Ryoma's lab, so maybe this is related to him?" Shuichi suggested.

"He has been to prison before," Kaede recalled. "Maybe Monokuma is poking fun at that."

"Knowing Monokuma, that's exactly what he's doing," Rantaro said.

"He's so cruel," Shuichi muttered.

Kaede took their conversation in a different direction, as she pointed to the window. "Have you guys noticed? This is the only window I've seen in the academy without any barbed wire."

"So it is," Rantaro said. "I hadn't noticed."

"I wonder why..." Shuichi pondered. He approached the window, curious to find out what was on the other side. Thankfully, the window wasn't locked, so Shuichi cracked it open. He immediately recognised the location. He was looking down at the swimming pool.

"Oh, it's the pool!" Kaede exclaimed, peering over his shoulder. "Wow, I didn't realise how high up were are." 

"It's certainly possible to fall out this window," Shuichi noted. "We better be careful." 

"Yeah, I don't think your chances of survival would be very strong," Rantaro said.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this view," Kaede admitted. "What if someone uses it to spy on people swimming? That's a little creepy..." 

"Don't point that out to Tenko; she'll have a fit!" Rantaro exclaimed. 

"I wouldn't worry, the glass is opaque, so unless the window is open, no one can see through," Shuichi reassured her.

"That makes me feel a little better, I guess," Kaede said. "But someone would only have to open the window a crack and they could see everything."

"I suppose it's just something we'll have to be mindful of." Rantaro said.

Ryoma's lab had nothing else to offer, so the students returned to the hallway, to carry on with their search. They came across an unusual pixel door, but it was just a piece of artwork, so they brushed it off and continued walking. They soon bumped into Keebo, who was standing in front of a red and gold treasure chest, which he was fiercely protecting. 

"I didn't know you were secretly a pirate, Keebo," Rantaro grinned. 

"Pardon?" Keebo replied, his expression blank.

"Uh nevermind," Rantaro shook his head. "I was just talking about the treasure chest."

"Why exactly is there a treasure chest?" Kaede asked.

"I'm not sure," Keebo replied. "We found it here. Maki has asked me to protect it." 

"Is there anything inside?" Shuichi inquired.

"Yes," Keebo nodded. "I can show you, so long as you're certain that Kokichi isn't around."

"Wasn't he exploring with you?" Rantaro asked.

"He was, but he got bored pretty quickly and ran off somewhere." Keebo explained. 

"I don't think he's here," Shuichi replied. "I certainly haven't seen him."

"Very well then!" Keebo nodded. He turned around and opened up the chest, retrieving a mysterious item. It was shaped like a flashlight, but seemed far more technologically advanced. 

Shuichi peeked curiously at it. “What’s that you’ve got there?”

“It appears to be a flashlight of sorts,” Kaede guessed. “Although there’s something strange about it.”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen a flashlight like that before,” Shuichi murmured.

"I have no idea either," Keebo replied.

“Have you shown it to Miu?” Kaede suggested. “Perhaps it’s one of her inventions.”

"Actually, that's a really good idea!" Keebo smiled. "Maki said we should keep it in the chest away from Kokichi, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to show Miu."

"You'll find her in the casino," Kaede shared. "It's a new location that's opened up outside, behind that giant fence." 

"Thank you, Kaede," Keebo said. "I shall go and show this to Miu."

Rantaro butted in, changing the subject. "Uh, is it just me, or can you guys hear shouting?" 

Everyone went silent and Shuichi listened carefully. "Oh yeah, I hear it too."

"That'll be Kaito and Maki," Keebo explained. "They're having a bit of a disagreement about her lab."

"Really?" Shuichi said. "How come?"

"It's best you ask them; I'm keeping out of it," Keebo said warily. "I should go and find Miu, so I'll leave you guys to it."

"Catch you later." Rantaro waved. 

"We should probably go and see what this argument is about..." Kaede said. 

They hurried along the corridor, where they found Kaito and Maki having a heated debate outside a mysterious red door. 

“C’mon, you’re being ridiculous!” Kaito ranted.

“And you’re being entitled,” Maki retorted. “What gives you the right to enter my lab without permission?”

“The lab is designed for you, but you don’t own it.” Kaito argued.

Shuichi felt uncomfortable just watching them argue, so he spoke up, hoping he could resolve whatever their issue was. “I-is everything okay?”

“Maki won’t let me look inside her lab,” Kaito sighed, clearly frustrated.

Kaede pointed at the door. "This is your lab?"

"Yes." Maki replied coldly. 

"But how do we even know you're tellin' the truth?!" Kaito protested. "There ain't a sign or anythin'!" 

"I give you my word that this is my lab." Maki said.

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Like that's worth anythin'." 

Maki glared at him. “What gives you the right to go inside?”

“Well Maki,” Shuichi said rationally. “There aren’t actually any rules about people visiting other people’s labs.”

“And?” Maki said coldly. “I don’t care, neither of you are going inside.”

“Fine,” Kaito shrugged. “I’ll just come by when you aren’t here.”

“I’ll always be here.” Maki snapped.

Kaito laughed. “That’s ridiculous! You’d last half a day before you needed to sleep, or eat, or go to the toilet.”

Shuichi knew that Kaito was wasting his time, because Maki wasn’t going to back down. “C’mon Kaito, this isn’t worth arguing over.”

“Yeah, I’m sure there’s nothing _too_ important in there,” Rantaro said. “It’s probably best to let it go.”

What could be expected from the Ultimate Childcare Giver's lab anyway? Some toys perhaps? Or maybe some cribs? Whatever was inside, Shuichi didn't understand why Maki was being so secretive. 

"We promised everyone we'd meet back in the dining hall, so we should get going," Kaede reminded them, attempting to move things along. “It’s not fair to keep them waiting any longer.”

 

***

 

Having solved the secrets of the four mysterious objects, the fourteen students gathered in the dining hall; their agreed meeting spot. Once everyone was seated at the table, it was time to discuss what they'd found. 

"Well, these items turned out far more useful than I ever imagined," Korekiyo said, opening up the conversation. 

"Yeah, they weren't just useless junk after all!" Kaito exclaimed. 

"So, what did everyone find?" Tsumugi asked. "We used the Ocarina to unlock a swimming pool!" 

"We used the wrench and discovered a casino and hotel," Rantaro contributed. 

"A hotel?" Kaito repeated. "What's the point in that?!"

"Is it nicer than the dorms?" Tenko asked. "If it is, I'm moving." 

"Trust me, you don't want to go in there," Rantaro warned them. "It's a sex hotel..." 

"Rantaro, don't be so disgusting!" Tenko barked. 

"What?!" Rantaro retorted. "I didn't make that up, it's genuinely its purpose."

"We don't have to worry about the hotel," Kaede added. "You have to pay to get a room." 

"The ancient passport led us to Himiko's lab," Korekiyo shared. "That is the only room we found."

"Oh, really?" Kaito said. "We actually found a lot with the Dragon's Gem. It opened up a whole new area on the second floor and even some of the third floor." 

"We found four labs," Keebo said. "Kirumi's, Ryoma's, Gonta's, and Maki's." 

"You found my lab?" Ryoma looked to Keebo.

Keebo nodded. "Yes, it's on the third floor."

"Right..." Ryoma looked away, asking no further questions.

"New labs aren't all we found," Keebo continued. From underneath the desk, he revealed the flashback light. "We discovered this device in a treasure chest." 

Tsumugi squinted at the item. "What is it?"

"We aren't sure," Keebo replied. "Miu, is this one of your inventions?" 

“That’s why you dragged me here?” Miu frowned. “To look at a fuckin’ torch.”

"This isn't one of your inventions then?" Keebo sought clarification.

"Wadda you fuckin' think?!" Miu exclaimed. “I’d never invent a piece of shit like that.”

“Yet, she happily spends her time on a diarrhoea inducing machine…” Rantaro muttered, just quiet enough that Miu didn’t hear.

“...I’ll take that as a no.” Keebo said.

“That’s not her invention, it’s _mine_!”

Monokuma had crept into the dining hall, without the students knowing. He approached the table and snatched the device from Keebo’s hands.

“In fact, it’s probably the invention I’m proudest of,” Monokuma shared.

“It looks like an ugly flashlight to me.” Tenko said.

“This isn’t a flashlight, it’s a flashback light!” Monokuma exclaimed. “You should be honoured to even be in its presence.”

“What’s it do that’s so amazing?” Kaito asked.

“Flashback...like a memory flashback?” Korekiyo pondered.

“The flashback light helps you recover lost memories that are living deep down in your brain,” Monokuma explained.

“You...you mean like the memories we’re missing?” Shuichi asked. Could this device connect the puzzle pieces in his frazzled mind?

“Yup!” Monokuma nodded. “You guys don’t remember how you ended up here! Or anything about your court cases.”

“If we use the flashback light, will it bring all of the memories back?” Ryoma asked.

“You’re not gonna get all of them at once,” Monokuma replied. “That would be way too generous and take away all the suspense. But, I might treat you to a lil’ something!”

Kokichi looked at the device. “How does this thing work?”

“That would be telling.” Monokuma folded his arms. “Even Miu wouldn’t be able to figure this technology out.”

“Try me.” Miu growled.

“I think we need to try this flashback light,” Kaito said. “It could give us the answers we need.”

“That’s if we trust it.” Ryoma said. “What if it’s a trap and blows us all to pieces?”

“And what would be the point in that?” Monokuma said. “You know that I’m hungry for a killing game.”

“I don’t think this is a trap,” Shuichi said. “Monokuma has told us many times that he wants us to fight. Suddenly killing us wouldn’t make sense.”

“Here,” Monokuma handed the flashback light to Keebo again. “It’s all yours. What you do with it is up to you.” with that, he scurried off out of the room.

“Sooo...are we going to press it?” Tsumugi asked.

“We have to!" Kokichi exclaimed. “Ignoring it would be _realllllly_ boring.”

“Unless this is another motive?” Himiko theorised.  
  
“I don’t think it is; it seems genuine,” Rantaro shared his thoughts. “Slowly, but surely, I reckon Monokuma wants us to learn about our past. I think we should use the light.”

“We’re only going to torture ourselves if we don’t.” Korekiyo agreed.

Without further ado, Keebo clicked the switch, triggering the flashback light. In an instant, Shuichi felt like he had disconnected from the real world, the dining hall around him vanishing.

_Shuichi was sitting at a table, his wrists handcuffed together. A man in a black suit was towering over him, holding all of the power._

_“I’m not going to ask you again, Saiahra,” the man spoke aggressively. “Tell me what you did. Confess.”_

_“I…” Shuichi couldn’t get the words out. His eyes stayed focus on the table._

_“Cat got your tongue?” the suited man snapped. “Maybe this will help…”_

_Using brute force, the man slapped Shuichi around the face. It was such a violent encounter, that Shuichi spat blood onto the table. Shuichi winced, trying his best to put on a brave face. When Shuichi didn’t speak, the man struck again._

_The suited man kicked Shuichi’s chair, aiming for the leg. The chair collapsed backwards, causing Shuichi to fall back with it, smacking his head on the ground. The man slowly approached Shuichi, who couldn’t get back up since he was handcuffed, and placed his dirty shoe on Shuichi’s face, beginning to push down hard._

_“If you don’t start talking, I’m going to squash you like an ant.” the man growled._

_Tears began to form in Shuichi’s eyes, finally giving in. “O-Okay, I’ll tell you everything. It was all m-my fault.”_

With that, the memory cut. Shuichi found himself back in the dining hall, surrounded by thirteen very scared looking students. The memory...it hurt to watch. Yet seeing it, a rush of feelings came back to Shuichi. He remembered! The man in the suit, the chair, the confession… it was there in his memories now, no longer part of the blur. His hands began to shake, as if he was in the confession room all over again.

After twenty seconds of horrified silence, Kaede spoke up. “W-was I really about to confess?” she looked a lot paler than usual.

“Y-you saw that too?!” Tenko exclaimed, her own voice shaking.

“I-I  was being tortured into a confession.” Kaede shared. “I was just about to tell the truth, when the memory cut.”

“I remember it now….I remember that room.” Rantaro seemed as calm as usual, but his face did look puzzled.

“I am beginning to believe that we all received the same memory.” Korekiyo said, casting a glance around the room.

Being interrogated for a dark confession, one that Shuichi was ready to confess to.

“Did anyone remember what they were confessing to?” Kaito asked. “Like you guys, the memory cut out just before I was going to speak.”

“If someone did remember, would they really share that knowledge with the group?” Kokichi challenged him

“Why wouldn’t they?” Kaito didn’t follow.

“Even though we _know_ that we’re criminals, we don’t know what for.” Kokichi explained. “If just one of our cases got exposed, we’d seem like a pretty terrible human being in comparison to everybody else. That makes you prettty vulnerable in here.”

Kokichi was right. If it was revealed that someone in the group was a serial killer or an evil gangster, they would instantly become a threat in comparison to everyone else. Not only would this create fear and paranoia, but that person might get killed off as they would be seen as a threat. Shuichi doubted that anyone remembered their confession, but if they did, they were definitely going to keep it a secret.

“This raises another point,” Ryoma said. “We really are in here because we’re criminals. It’s not that I doubted the idea, but now we know for certain.”

“In a way, I wish I hadn’t seen that memory.” Kaede lowered her head. “I feel worse for it now.”

“It’s like I can almost feel where they kicked me…” Tsumugi shuddered.

“It didn’t really help us, like I thought it might.” Keebo frowned. “We didn’t gain any information that would help us understand our situation.”

“Monokuma is probably dragging this out for a reason.” Shuichi sighed. “If we gain a flashback light after the class trial as a reward, it’s probably an incentive for more murders to be committed.”

“That’s a pretty big price to pay for the truth.” Rantaro remarked.

“Sometimes, we are better off not knowing these things.” Korekiyo shared his wisdom.

“Is that all then?” Maki interrupted them. “I don’t wish to waste my time taking part in a meaningless conversation.”  

“That’s a little blunt…” Shuichi winced. “But I think we’ve covered everything. There’s nothing more to learn about the flashback lights for now.”

“Goodbye then.” Maki didn’t need to hear any more. She turned her back straight away and left the room, probably to guard her lab again.

Maki’s exit triggered most of the others to leave too. The flashback light had changed the mood drastically. The excitement from finding the new rooms had quickly faded. Shuichi no longer cared about the pool or the secrets of the Love Hotel; all he could think about was that awful memory. Monokuma really knew how to kill the mood.


	8. Two Lies and A Truth (2.2)

After witnessing the terrible flashback, Shuichi returned to his dorm room. He needed some alone time to process what he'd seen. The interrogation, which had resulted in physical assault, was beyond brutal. Whatever crime Shuichi had committed, it must've been horrific. He wouldn’t be treated like that over something petty, such as pickpocketing or trespassing.

Being in the dark about his crime felt like mental torture to Shuichi, because he was driving himself insane considering all of the possibilities. What was he guilty of? Kidnap? Theft? Murder? The idea of any of these crimes seemed ridiculous; Shuichi would never do something so evil. He was a good person, a civilized member of society. Yet, he had to have done something, or he wouldn't be in the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles. 

Desperate to figure out what he'd done, Shuichi took himself into the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. He was looking at the face of a criminal. He studied his reflection, wondering what kind of crime he looked capable of committing. He didn't have a very intimidating face, but his sharp features would probably appear quite creepy, given the right circumstances. Ultimately, he found it impossible to draw a conclusion. Deep down, he knew he'd been ridiculous for even trying. 

Feeling dissatisfied, Shuichi pulled his hat even further over his eyes and left the room. Much to Shuichi's relief, a sharp knock at his bedroom door granted him a distraction. Eager to busy himself, he opened the door, where he found Kaede waiting on the other side.

“I’m so glad you answered,” Kaede admitted, as she leant her bodyweight against the frame. “I’ve been driving myself crazy thinking about that flashback memory.”

“So have I!” Shuichi exclaimed. “I thought I wanted to learn about our past, but now…I’m not so sure.”

“It hurts to learn the truth, doesn’t it?” Kaede sighed. "I just can't imagine myself doing anything remotely evil." 

"Me either," Shuichi said. "Could having our memories altered really change our personalities that much? If we got our missing memories back, would we become heartless monsters?" 

Kaede hung her head. "If that's true, then I don't want to ever learn what I was like before this..."

"With Monokuma handing out flashback lights, I think that day is going to come," Shuichi said. He seriously hoped that he was wrong, but he had to be honest with himself.

"All of this is a lot to handle, which is why I've been thinking," Kaede said. "We need to find a way to cheer ourselves up!"

“We...we do?” Shuichi replied.

“Yes!” Kaede nodded firmly. “That memory was awful, but we can’t sit around all day thinking about it, or we’ll drive ourselves crazy. We have to forget about the memory, or it’s really going to feel like we’re living in a prison.”

“You’re right,” Shuichi agreed, inspired by Kaede's positivity. “It can’t be healthy just sitting in our rooms all day.”

"Exactly. So why not make the most of the new rooms we discovered today?" Kaede suggested. “We might actually have some fun if we get everyone together.”

Shuichi was more than grateful for a distraction, but he couldn’t speak for the others. “I’m not sure if we'd be able to get everyone to participate,” he admitted, voicing his honest opinion. “Everyone seems pretty depressed after the flashback.”

“Then we’ll persuade them,” Kaede exclaimed, her eyes shining with optimism. “We have so much here we can do!"

Her enthusiasm was infectious; Shuichi found himself inspired with ideas.

“There’s the swimming pool and the casino,” Shuichi put forward. "That could be fun." 

“Exactly!” Kaede nodded. “Plus we’ve got the games room that we’ve barely touched, and the tennis court in Ryoma’s lab. Or maybe we could ask Himiko to put on a magic show for us.”

“A magic show probably isn’t the best idea,” Shuichi discussed. “Some of those tricks look really dangerous, and I don’t want to do anything that could possibly trigger a murder.”

“Ah, good thinking,” Kaede said. “We want to do something fun, that’s going to cause the least amount of aggravation possible. Which probably means we should rule out playing tennis, because I don’t think Ryoma would be up for that.”

Shuichi agreed. “It's like he's doing everything he can to avoid his past."

“Well, that leaves the pool, the casino, and the games room,” Kaede said. “Any preference?”  
  
“If we go to the casino, Miu stands a greater chance of winning the love key,” Shuichi grinned. "So maybe not there."

“That’s all the convincing I need to choose something else,” Kaede laughed. “Okay, well how about the swimming pool? We could throw a pool party!”

“A pool party?” Shuichi repeated. “I...I’ve never been to one of those before.”

“Oh Shuichi, they’re so much fun.” Kaede smiled. “We could make mocktails and have snacks - like fruit salad skewers! And there must be some pool floats we can use."

“That does sound pretty interesting,” Shuichi said. “It would certainly make for a change around here." 

"So, what do you say?" Kaede asked eagerly. 

"I'm in!" Shuichi smiled. "I just hope we can convince the others to join us." 

“The solution for that is easy,” Kaede grinned. “We don’t let them think it’s optional!”

The two friends had a pool party to organise, which would hopefully bring some light to their classmates. They wouldn’t be able to make the preparations alone, so Rantaro and Kaito were recruited into the process, since they’d been readily available in their dorm rooms.

It was Kaito’s job to travel around the school, in search of the remaining students, and spread the message that a pool party was happening at 4 p.m. Meanwhile, Rantaro was sent to the pool itself, to set up some floats.

As the organisers of the party, Shuichi and Kaede took on the most challenging role: catering. Neither of them had a wealth of cooking experience, but with Kirumi no longer around, they would have to try their best. Shuichi considered searching the library for a recipe book, but after the previous murder, he decided it was best to improvise.

They pooled together some ideas and raided the warehouse for the necessary supplies. Thankfully, the dining hall was close by, so they didn’t have far to carry everything. Inside the dining hall, at the table, they found Miu, Tenko, Tsumugi, Gonta, and Himiko enjoying some late lunch.

“The hell are you two up to?” Miu narrowed her eyebrows at the pair. “Did ya raid a grocery store?”

“Have you spoken to Kaito yet?” Kaede asked.

Miu shook her head. “Nope. Why?”

“Ah, well he’s passing around a message,” Kaede explained. “Shuichi and I have decided to throw a pool party. It’s just what we need to cheer ourselves up after the horrible week we’ve had.”

“A pool party?” Tsumugi gasped. “That sounds amazing! Since I’m so plain, I’ve never been invited to one before."

“That’s so lame,” Miu rolled her eyes, her comment aimed at Tsumugi. “I’m _always_ invited to pool parties. People wanna marvel at my fuckin’ hawt figure.”

“I’ve been invited to a few,” Tenko shared. “But...I’ve never actually been able to go.” she seemed a little sheepish.

“Why Tenko not go?” Gonta asked.

“Uh, well…” Tenko blushed. “I actually don’t know how to swim.”

Miu practically spat out her food. “You can’t swim?!” she scoffed.

“Don’t act so surprised! Loads of people don’t know how to swim,” Tenko retorted. “I just never got around to learning.”

“I’m not a very good swimmer either,” Himiko admitted. “But I don’t really mind, because if I were to drown, my magic would save me.”

“Uh, maybe you should consider taking up some lessons, Himiko…” Shuichi frowned, concerned for her safety.

“You don’t need to book any lessons; I’ll teach you.” Miu offered. “And I’ll even do it for free.”

“We don’t have access to money anyway…” Kaede pointed out.

Miu ignored her. “So, whadda you say? A swimming lesson from the world’s greatest!”

“You’re not the Ultimate Swimmer…” Himiko objected.

“Do you wanna drown?!” Miu huffed.

“It would be pretty awesome if I knew how to swim,” Tenko reasoned. “Then I wouldn’t have to watch from the sidelines anymore. Plus, I’d be able to protect girls in the water!”

“Protect them from what?” Shuichi asked. “Sharks?!”

“Don’t be rude,” Tenko glared at him. “Miu, count me in!”

Miu looked around the group. “Anyone else?”

“I’d like to come,” Tsumugi said. “I can swim, but I’m rather average, so I’d like to learn some new techniques.”

“Himiko, you have to come too,” Tenko insisted. “It’s important that you learn how to swim. It's a life-saving skill.”

Himiko shrugged. “Eh, I might just watch.”

“Himiko no!” Tenko frowned. “You might drown one day, you have to be careful.”

“Well, unless you choose to stay away from water, and then it doesn’t really matter.” Shuichi pointed out, rationally.

“Shut up, Shuichi!” Tenko glared. “Himiko, please come with us.”

“Fine…” Himiko sighed, reluctantly.

Shuichi suspected that the magician had agreed to go along just to get Tenko off of her case.

“Do we have enough time for the lesson now?” Tsumugi asked.

Miu turned to Kaede. “What time is the party startin'?”

“Four.” Kaede replied.

Miu nodded. “We can fit in a lesson before the pool party begins. But we better get goin’.”

“Can Gonta come too?” Gonta asked eagerly.

“Hmmm,” Miu hesitated, as she made up her mind. “I suppose, but you have to bring Shuichi with you.”

“M-me?!” Shuichi squawked. “What? Why?”

“Cuz it looks super pervy if one guy comes alone,” Miu explained.

“But it doesn’t if two of us turn up?” Shuichi frowned, struggling to understand Miu’s logic. “Besides, I can’t come. I’m helping Kaede set up the snacks.”

“She’ll survive,” Miu brushed him off. "This ain't fuckin' Masterchef. Just put some chips in a bowl." 

“Please, Shuichi,” Gonta begged, looking hopefully at his classmate. “Gonta want to swim better.”

“Don’t worry about me, Shuichi,” Kaede insisted. “I’ll be okay with the food.”

Shuichi sighed. He seriously didn’t want to go, but it was hard to say no to Gonta’s pleading eyes. For the sake of being a good friend, he agreed to attend Miu’s swimming lesson, despite being a perfectly strong swimmer himself. “Fine, I’ll come…”

“Pooichi, you better not perv on the girls!” Miu glared. “I’ll be watching you.”

“Y-you literally just invited me!” Shuichi protested.

 

***

 

Upon arrival at the swimming pool, they were greeted by Rantaro, who was busy inflating pool floats. There were several already in the water. The lilos were quirky and fun; each one a different shape. There was one shaped like a slice of pizza, another a unicorn, and even a giant lobster.

“Is everything okay?” Rantaro asked, as he looked at the group in surprise.

“I’m hosting a swimming lesson,” Miu explained. “You’ll need to stay out of the way.”

Rantaro didn’t rise to her rude attitude. “Don’t worry, I’ll be over here sorting out the floats.”

As Rantaro was talking, Shuichi noticed a crate of swimwear that had been placed near the pool. “Ah, are these for us to use?”

Rantaro nodded. “I found them in that storage cupboard over there,” he pointed.

Shuichi never got the chance to explore the cupboard when he first visited the swimming pool, so he had no idea what was inside. “I’m glad these are here. I thought we might have to go back to the warehouse to find some swimwear.”

Shuichi rummaged through the crate, in search of something to wear. Much to his annoyance, nothing looked like it would fit. Most of the trunks were at least three times his size.

“What’s taking you so long?” Miu asked, watching Shuichi like a hawk. “You’re not sniffing bikini crotches, are you?”

“What?! No!” Shuichi exclaimed. “I’m trying to find something my size, but I can’t see anything.”

“Hmmm.” as if she didn’t believe him, Miu approached the crate and began to search. After a minute or so, she retrieved a pair of red speedos. “There! These are your size.”

Shuichi refused to take the speedos that Miu was trying to give him. “I...I can’t wear those!" he objected. "They’re skin tight.”

“They’re your size, aren’t they?” Miu asked, holding the speedos up against Shuichi to compare.

“There must be something else in there that’s my size.” Shuichi protested, returning to the pile.

Unfortunately, there was not. Shuichi had to choose between baggy trunks, that would fall down as soon as he jumped in the pool, or a horribly revealing pair of skin-tight speedos. Regretfully, the speedos won.

There were no changing rooms available, so the storage cupboard was used as a substitute. The boys were sent in to get dressed first. Shuichi gave Rantaro one last longing look before heading inside, his eyes screaming ‘help me’.

To Shuichi’s utmost relief, he found a stash of wetsuits inside the storage cupboard. He happily helped himself to the appropriate size, discarding the awful speedos. Gonta had a much better deal, changing into a pair of orange trunks, that fitted him perfectly.

Shuichi waited for Gonta to get dressed, before they emerged together. Miu shot Shuichi a disappointed look, venting her frustration that he wasn’t in the speedos. The boys waited by the edge of the pool whilst the girls went to get changed. A few minutes later, they returned.

Himiko was wearing a red and white polka dot, one-piece swimming costume. Tsumugi had on a bikini, with a butterfly design. Tenko also had on a bikini - but hers was a camo print. It was Miu’s costume that caused Shuichi’s eyes to widened. She had on a pink and white vertical striped swimming costume, with a deep plunge that practically reached her belly button. Her cleavage was already half hanging out, and if Miu went into the water, she was definitely going to flash. Shuichi quickly averted his eyes, in fear of being called a perv.

“Tsumugi's costume, so pretty!” Gonta gasped, eyeing up the colourful butterflies on her outfit.

“Thank you, Gonta!” Tsumugi smiled. "I thought you'd like it." 

Shuichi knew that if he had made the same comment, Miu would be giving him grief.

As they approached the pool, Shuichi couldn’t help but feel overdressed in his wetsuit. However, he knew the alternative wasn’t any better.

“Alright losers, get in the water!” Miu instructed, as she stood by the edge. “There are armbands on the side for any babies who think they’re gonna sink.” she certainly wasn’t the most encouraging teacher.

Gonta was the only one who helped himself to some armbands. They were too small for him, meaning he couldn't get them past his elbows, but he kept them on.

Tsumugi lowered herself into the water first, climbing down the stairs. “I-it’s a bit cold in h-here.” she shivered. 

“Shut up and stop complaining.” Miu rolled her eyes, completely unsympathetic.

“Aren’t you coming in the water, Miu?” Shuichi asked, noticing that she hadn’t budged from her spot.

“I bet you’d love to see me all wet Pooichi!” Miu teased. “But nah, I’m giving my lesson from out of the water, so you can all see me. Besides, these jugs of mine are so big and heavy, that I’d sink to the bottom if I got in.”

“That doesn’t seem very helpful.” Himiko frowned. “How are you going to show us what to do?”

“Do you want me to teach ya or not?” Miu glared. “Don't be so fuckin’ ungrateful.”

No one questioned Miu any further. Although, Shuichi did want to know why Miu had wasted time getting changed into a swimming costume, if she wasn’t coming into the water. However, he knew better than to ask.

As Shuichi climbed into the pool, he understood why everyone was shivering; the water wasn’t as warm as he had hoped. Luckily, his wetsuit was keeping his body heat insulated.

“Okay, so for a warm up, I want you guys to swim one length of the pool and back.” Miu instructed.

“Uh,” Tenko hesitated. “Miu, how are we supposed to do that, when you’re meant to be teaching us how to swim?”

“You can’t swim even a lil’ bit?” Miu narrowed her eyes. “Jeez, you guys are even more pathetic than I thought!”

Tenko folded her arms. “Can you teach us to swim, or not?”

“Splash your arms around and move your legs,” Miu explained, albeit poorly.

“Could you be a bit more specific?” Tsumugi asked.

“Uh, I dunno,” Miu shrugged. “Pretend there’s a shark in the water and you’ve gotta get away.”

“That still isn’t very helpful…” Tsumugi said. “The shark would probably just eat me…”

Rantaro attempted to offer some advice from the sidelines. “Maybe try holding one of the lilos and kicking your legs?”

“This is my lesson, not yours.” Miu glared. “You’re just the pool boy.”

Rantaro rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the lilos.

Things went from bad to worse, when the door to the swimming pool opened, and in ran Kokichi. He was armed with a video camera, identical to the one Shuichi had used in his plan to trap the mole. The camera was open and clearly recording. 

“Say hi everyone!” Kokichi grinned, as he shouted across the pool.

Miu spun around to see what was going on. “What are you doing here?!” her gaze instantly travelled to the video camera. “A-are you filming me?!”

“Kokichi!” Tenko barked. “That is not acceptable behaviour. A degenerate filming us in our swimwear is-”

Kokichi interrupted her. “Blah blah blah, it’s inappropriate and gross, blah blah blah.”

“Don’t mock me; this isn’t funny.” Tenko scowled.

“I’m not here to film you in your swimwear, and even if I was, Shuichi is the only good eye candy around here,” Kokichi smirked. “Nee-heehee, just kidding. Shuichi is so pale, he shows up like a ghost on camera.”

“What do you want, Kokichi?” Shuichi frowned, now feeling very self-conscious.

“I’m making a documentary,” Kokichi revealed, as he panned the camera across the room.

“A documentary?” Himiko inquired. “Why?”

“Thanks to Shuichi, I realised that there's a load of video cameras in the warehouse,” Kokichi explained. “I figure that since we could all die in here, it's important to record everything that's going on. Maybe someday, someone will find this camera and our story will get turned into a blockbuster movie.” 

Tsumugi gasped in awe. “That’s a brilliant idea!”

"No, it's not!" Tenko exclaimed. "You make it sound like we're going to die in here and no one will find our bodies for centuries." 

“I think it’s a shit idea,” Miu scoffed. “I’m the only one around here with any sort of personality. Everyone else is far too boring to make it to the big screen.”

“You’re humble too.” Rantaro remarked.

"You are pretty interesting to watch, Miu," Kokichi said. "It's just a shame that you look so horrific on camera! I'm not trying to record a horror movie." 

“D-don’t be so rude!” Miu squawked. "I've got a figure to die for. And the nicest hair out of all of the girls here!"

"H-hey!" Tsumugi protested. 

"The camera just doesn't agree with you," Kokichi went on. "Those two huge chest lumps, that you call breasts, are enough to terrify any audience member. Even Shuichi's ghostly skin is an improvement." 

"L-let me see the footage!" Miu begged. "I-I don't believe you." although she didn't sound very confident. 

"Sorry, I can't show you." Kokichi apologised. "This is confidential footage. If I want to keep it private, it's within my rights to do so."

"You haven't even asked for our consent to be filmed..." Rantaro pointed out. "What about our rights?"

"Unless you're secretly the Ultimate Lawyer, I don't really care," Kokichi replied arrogantly.

"Kokichi, I wanna see the footage." Miu persisted. "Give me the camera." she outstretched her hand in a demanding fashion. 

"No can do." Kokichi shook his head, whilst continuing to film.

"If you're not gonna fuckin' show me, at least stop filming," Miu growled. "I don't wanna be part of your shitty documentary anyway."

Kokichi pretended to ignore her and didn't stop.

Miu raised her voice even louder. "Kokichi! I'm fuckin' warnin' you."

“If you _realllly_ want me to stop, you’ll have to come and get the camera yourself.” Kokichi teased, waving it in the air, above his head. 

"That does it, you little shit!" Miu shrieked. Abandoning her swimming class, she broke into a sprint and chased after Kokichi.

"Miu be careful!" Tsumugi cried. "You might slip!"

Miu ignored her advice and carried on running. Shuichi watched on helplessly from the water, waiting for the inevitable accident to occur. Kokichi was a lot faster than Miu, and easily darted out of her way, thanks to his agility. The pair of them were running around the edge of the pool like cat and mouse. 

"Give me the fuckin' camera!" Miu shouted, her frustration only growing. 

"I said you can have it, but you've gotta at least work for it." Kokichi grinned, enjoying every minute of the torment. 

They went for another lap around the outside of the pool, but this time, Miu wasn't so lucky. She lost her footing, causing her to slip and fall right into the water. Thankfully, she landed in the deep end; if the water was any shallower, she could've cracked her head open. 

Miu spat out the mouthful of water she'd swallowed. "K-Kokichi!"

Kokichi was bent over double with laughter, victoriously holding his camera. "Now _that_ made for some great footage."

Before a full-blown argument could take place, the door to the swimming pool opened once again, and in walked the party guests. Kaede was armed with a tray of mocktails. Meanwhile, Kaito was carrying the food. Relief was an understatement; Shuichi had never been so grateful to see his friends. Eager to escape from the terrible swimming lesson, he climbed out of the water and helped himself to a raspberry and lemonade mocktail.

“How’d the swimming lesson go?” Kaede asked.

Shuichi warily shook his head. “You don’t even want to know.”

The party guests took it in turn to visit the cupboard and get changed into their swimwear, with the exception of Korekiyo and Keebo, who didn’t want to get wet, and decided to relax on the sun loungers instead. The remaining boys copied Shuichi’s wetsuit idea, since no one wanted to touch the red speedos. The girls had far more variety, from bikinis to swimming costumes.

Attendance was strong, with everyone besides Maki making an appearance. According to Kaito, she refused to move from her lab. It was a shame that she was missing out, but it probably wasn’t her idea of fun, anyway.

The pool party was met with a warm reception. The mocktails went down a treat and the snacks were delicious. Shuichi had several helpings of hummus and carrot sticks. The fruit salad skewers looked amazing, but they'd all been taken before he'd even gotten the chance to try one.  

To kick the party into action, the students played a game of 'Marco, Polo'. The rules were simple. One person (in this case, Kaito) has to close their eyes and try to locate the others in the water by shouting ‘Marco’. The other players reply with 'Polo', and Kaito must track the sound of their voices to 'catch' them. They played several rounds, with Kaede, Ryoma, Shuichi, Gonta, Rantaro, and Miu taking it in turns to call 'Marco'. The weaker swimmers stuck to 'Polo', since they didn’t want to accidentally end up in the deep end, out of their depth. 

The next activity came courtesy of Rantaro, who suggested a high diving competition. Shuichi opted to sit this one out, because even the lowest board struck him as terrifying. He took some time out of the pool and enjoyed more hummus with the non-swimmers.

“I have to say, Shuichi, this was an excellent suggestion,” Korekiyo said. “This is just what we’ve needed to clear the air after the past few days.”

“Everyone seems to be having a nice time,” Shuichi nodded. “It’s just a shame that Maki didn’t show up.”

“Do you think she ever leaves her lab?” Keebo asked.

“Surely she needs to eat,” Korekiyo pointed out.

“Kaito’s been bringing her food,” Shuichi revealed. “But even then, she must take bathroom breaks. And surely, she needs to sleep.”

“I don’t understand why she’s protecting it so fiercely,” Tenko joined in. “I haven’t got my lab yet, but even I know that I can’t _force_ degenerates to stay away.”

“It is a little strange that she’s protecting it,” Keebo said.

“Perhaps Maki is hiding something?” Korekiyo theorised.

“Do you think so?” Keebo asked.

Korekiyo shrugged. “Why else would she be so protective?”

“That is true…” Keebo said. “I just don’t know what it is she could be hiding.”

“Perhaps I’ll make a trip to Maki’s lab during nighttime,” Korekiyo said. “I’m curious to see whether she’s actually guarding it all night long.”

Tenko crossed her arms. “That’s not very fair. If Maki wants you to keep out, you should keep out.”

“Tenko, once again, your logic bemuses me,” Korekiyo remarked. “You just agreed that Maki can’t police her lab.”

“It doesn't mean I consent a creepy degenerate like you sneaking in there.” Tenko retorted.

Shuichi sighed. Were these two ever going to get along? He tuned out the bickering and returned his attention to the diving board competition, where Rantaro had just successfully completed a dive from the second highest board. Shuichi cheered him on with a loud round of applause. 

To finish up the evening, the students wound down by relaxing on the inflatables. It certainly was peaceful. Shuichi found himself gliding around the pool on an ice lolly shaped lilo, which made him smile. 

When it turned from daytime to dusk, the students knew they had to wrap up their fun; nighttime was looming and they couldn't risk breaking the rules. They left the water in plenty of time, allowing them to put away all of the floats and get dressed back into their uniforms. 

United as classmates, they left the pool and took a casual walk to the dormitories, aware that the nighttime announcement would sound at any minute. Before turning into their rooms, the thirteen students stood together in the corridor, to wish each other goodnight.

“We should do stuff like this more often,” Tenko said. “Today’s the first time since I’ve been here that I actually felt normal…”

“I know what you mean,” Kaede agreed. “It’s like we're real students again.”

“There’s nothin’ stopping us from doin’ more activities like this,” Kaito pointed out. “We’ve just gotta make the effort.”

“Shuichi and I came up with quite a few suggestions this morning!” Kaede exclaimed excitedly. “Maybe we could have games night soon, or an evening at the casino.”

“We need a casino night,” Miu joined in. “I’ve had no luck winning that love key, so you lot need to help me.”

“Oh, I’d forgotten about that…” Rantaro muttered.

“We certainly aren’t short of activities here,” Korekiyo said. “I’m sure we can find multiple ways to entertain ourselves.”

“Just because we’re trapped here, we don’t have to live our lives like we’re in a prison,” Shuichi reasoned, optimistically.

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_

The nighttime alarm sounded and the Monokubs appeared on the nearby speaker.

“Looks like it’s time to part ways,” Kaito said.

“I need to wash the chlorine out of my hair, so it doesn’t turn green,” Kaede said. “I’ll see you all in the morning!”

One by one, the students turned into their rooms. Shuichi locked his door as soon as he was inside. Even though he’d had a fun day with his friends, this was still a killing game. He quickly undressed, brushed his teeth, removed his hat, and then climbed into bed. 

As he stared the ceiling, tucked underneath the covers, he reflected on his day. The morning hadn't been the best start. Although Shuichi had enjoyed discovering the new rooms, it was sad finding Kirumi's lab, and the flashback light had left him feeling numb. However, he'd managed to salvage the afternoon with the pool party. The party made him feel like an ordinary person again, just a high school student enjoying time with his friends. It was the closest he’d felt to having his freedom back. This in itself was bittersweet. On the one hand, he enjoyed feeling happy for once. But on the other, he knew that this feeling wasn’t permanent and another motive was probably right around the corner...

 

***

 

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong_  *

Shuichi woke with a groan, extremely irritated by the annoying chimes of the morning alarm. He'd examined the monitor multiple times, in hope of finding a mute button, but one simply didn't exist. Feeling resentful, Shuichi climbed out of bed and tucked in his sheets. He was just about to head into the bathroom, when an unexpected voice came over the speakers, stopping him in his tracks.

“Ahem!” Monokuma coughed, calling for his attention. “This is your morning announcement.”

Shuichi looked at the screen, confused as to why Monokuma was speaking instead of the Kubs. Monokuma only ever spoke when there was a body discovery announcement, but surely not…

“Everyone must gather in the gym _immediately_!” Monokuma instructed, the tone of his voice hinting that there was no room for compromise on the situation. “Anyone who isn’t there within ten minutes, will be dragged by the Exisals! See you sooooon.”

Ten minutes wasn't nearly enough time to get ready, so Shuichi had to forgo a shower. He hurriedly changed into his uniform and brushed his teeth in record speed, whilst multitasking putting on his shoes. Getting ready took five minutes in total, giving Shuichi just enough time to make it over to the gymnasium. He wasn’t going to risk being late.

What could all of this be about? Shuichi felt somewhat confident that he wasn't about to discover a crime scene, as Monokuma's message sounded nothing like the previous Body Discovery Announcement. That being said, Shuichi had only experienced the one, so maybe they were different each time.

On his way to the gym, Shuichi bumped into Himiko and Tsumugi, who were just as confused as him. He was surprised to see Himiko out of her room on time; perhaps her experience with the Exisals during the fire alarm had scarred her for life.

Outside of the gymnasium's double doors, they found Keebo: the first to arrive. Ten minutes to get ready would have been more than enough time for him, since he didn't have to brush his teeth and never changed clothes.

"The door's locked," Keebo shared, offering an explanation as to why he was waiting. 

This convinced Shuichi more than ever that they didn't have a murder on their hands; Monokuma wouldn't tamper with the crime scene like that. "Maybe Monokuma is waiting for everyone to get here before we can go in." he theorised.

The time limit was ticking, but luckily, the remaining students all showed up with minutes to spare. Although, this wasn't without consequence; Gonta came in his pyjamas and Miu was rocking crazy bed hair. Tenko was the last to arrive, cutting it thin, appearing within the final thirty seconds. She was out of breath and seemed surprised to see Himiko standing amongst the group.

“H-Himiko, you’re already here?!” Tenko exclaimed.

Himiko nodded. “I used my magic to get me and Tsumugi ready quickly.”

“T-Tsumugi?” Tenko pouted. “What about me?”

“That would use up too much of my magic,” Himiko explained. “It’s dangerous if I don’t have any spare.”

Shuichi saw it all as make-believe, but Tenko appeared deeply hurt.

“I was waiting for you outside of your dorm,” Tenko complained. “I thought you might still be asleep and I didn’t want you to get punished.”

“It’s okay, Tenko,” Tsumugi said kindly. “I knocked for Himiko, as I was worried too.”

“Thanks, Tsumugi.” Himiko smiled, showing no appreciation for Tenko whatsoever.

“I nearly missed the time limit because I was waiting for you...” Tenko pointed out.

It was an uncomfortable exchange to watch; Tenko clearly felt betrayed. Luckily, the Monokubs arrived before any more feelings could get hurt.

“Thank you for coming, everyone!” Monophanie smiled.

“Aww, why did you all have to get here on time?!” Monokid sulked. “I wanted to drag some punks in the Exisals!”

“Now that you’re all here, we can welcome you inside,” Monotaro said.

“Let’s goooo!” Monosuke jumped onto Monotaro’s shoulders with a key in hand, which he used to unlock the gymnasium. He pushed open the double doors, instructing the students to head on inside.

Shuichi entered the gymnasium, apprehensive about what he might find. There wasn't a murder scene, but this didn't feel much better. Aligned in a row, were fourteen mannequins, creepy and faceless. This was uncomfortable enough alone, but what really unsettled Shuichi, was that the mannequins were dressed up like the students. They'd been styled with wigs and identical outfits. The one on the far left wore a robotic suit, just like Keebo's. The mannequin beside it was sporting a witches hat, with Himiko’s iconic blazer and shirt. It didn’t take Shuichi long to find his own mannequin, fifth in line, wearing his entire uniform, including the hat. The mannequins were like exact replicas. 

“W-what’s going on?” Tsumugi asked weakly.

“Are they supposed to be us?” Kaede gasped.

“Looks that way,” Rantaro replied. “Those _are_ our clothes.”

“How Monokuma steal clothes?!” Gonta panicked.

“He probably took one of our spare uniforms from our dorms,” Shuichi answered. There were more than enough, so Shuichi knew he wouldn’t have noticed if just one went missing.

“Puhuhuhu!” stepping out from the shadows came Monokuma, wearing his usual menacing smile. “Do you want to play a game?”

“J-Jigsaw?” Tsumugi whispered, her eyes widening.

Maki looked to Monokuma. “I don’t want to play a game; does that mean I can leave?”

Shuichi had a feeling that Monokuma’s game was going to be mandatory. Maki probably thought so too, but she was checking, just to be certain.

“Nope, sorryyyy!” Monokuma denied her. “Once stepping foot in the gymnasium, you have to take part.”

“That’s not fair!” Kaito argued. “You shoulda told us that rule before we came inside.”

“Came inside…” Miu echoed, her face blushing red.

“You make me want to throw up in my mouth.” Kokichi glared at Miu.

“The game we’re going to play is called Two Lies and A Truth!” Monokuma announced.

“I’ve heard of that game before,” Kaede spoke up. “But isn’t it called two truths and a lie?”

“This is my own, modded, Monokuma version.” Monokuma explained.

“What happens in this game, Kaede?” Korekiyo asked. “It is one that I am not familiar with.”

“Well,” Kaede hesitated. “In two truths and a lie, you tell a person three facts about yourself. Two of them are true, but one is a lie. The other person has to guess which one is the lie.”

“So, Monokuma’s version means there are two lies and you’re trying to expose the single truth.” Shuichi concluded.

“What do the creepy mannequins have to do with all this?” Miu butted in.

“Ah, why not take a step closer and see for yourself?” Monokuma smirked.

Shuichi hated Monokuma’s smug expression, but he listened to him regardless, approaching his own mannequin. Stapled to the mannequin's chest, Shuichi found a piece of white card. There was writing on the card, which read:

**Two Lies and a Truth: Shuichi Saihara.**

  * **Shuichi Saihara is the mole.**


  * **Shuichi Saihara cruelly convicted a man to jail, who was only seeking justice for his family.**


  * **Shuichi Saihara is a crooked cop, who accepts bribes.**



Completely lost for words, Shuichi took a step back; wanting to get as far away from his mannequin as possible. There was so much to take in, he didn’t quite know where to begin. Secrets one and three were obviously the lies. Monokuma was trying to expose Shuichi for his past, one he was still coming to grips with.

There were disgruntled cries from across the room as the students read their own cards. Whilst Shuichi waited for further instruction from Monokuma, he couldn’t help but glance at Maki’s card, since her mannequin was right next to his.

**Two Lies and a Truth: Maki Harukawa**

  * **Maki Harukawa let a child die on her watch.**


  * **Maki Harukawa is the mole.**


  * **Maki Harukawa is really the Ultimate Assassin.**



Shuichi’s eyes widened; all of Maki’s facts were pretty brutal. If he were her, he didn’t know which one he would rather be true.

Maki caught Shuichi staring at her mannequin and instantly glared him down. “What are you looking at?”

"N-nothing!" Shuichi hurriedly turned away, just as Monokuma began speaking. It was good timing, because it meant Shuichi didn’t have to defend himself, even though he had every right to look at her mannequin if he wanted; it wasn’t her private space.

“In case you folks haven’t guessed, this game is our next motive!” Monokuma revealed. “There is a card stapled to each of your mannequins, containing two lies and a truth. For now, it’s up in the air what is true and what is not. However, if a murder has not occurred by 3 p.m, in forty-eight hours time, I will expose your deepest, darkest secret by revealing your truth!”

“Y-you can’t do that!” Keebo gasped.

“I can do whatever the hell I want!” Monokuma growled. “This is my school and my killing game.”

"H-how do you even know our secrets?" Tsumugi cried, appearing exceptionally pale.

"I know everything about you," Monokuma replied. "I'm your headmaster, after all." 

“This is extremely unfair,” Korekiyo complained. “You have no respect for our privacy."

“I’ve got no respect for you, period.” Monokuma quipped.

“Gonta doesn’t like motive,” Gonta shook his head. “Motive causes murder!”

“This doesn’t have to result in a murder,” Monokuma shrugged. “ _Butttt_ that does mean everyone finds out your secret.”

“I thought the motives were supposed to be over.” Himiko frowned.

“The first motive was over after the first murder,” Monokuma said. “But I never promised that they would stop.”

“It’s not a real killing game without motives!” Monotaro added.

“Well, does anyone have any questions?” Monokuma asked, glancing around the room.

He was met with a frosty silence.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Monokuma said. “Well then, there’s nothing more left for me to do. You guys better start planning how you’re gonna off each other! Seeya!”

With his menacing voice still lingering in the air, Monokuma headed for the exit with his Kubs, leaving the students to think about the new motive.

“Why is there another motive so soon?!” Tenko grumbled.

“At least it’s easier than the last one.” Kaito reasoned, appearing calm and collected.

“Why are you so relaxed about this?” Tenko frowned. “Are you plotting something, degenerate?”

“On the contrary,” Kaito said. “We shouldn’t moan about this motive, cuz it’s actually pretty kind to us.”

“Monokuma is trying to expose our secrets!” Miu reminded him. “That’s hardly fuckin’ kind.”

“But unlike the last motive, we actually have the power to stop this one.” Kaito insisted. “All we have to do is confess our own secrets, and Monokuma will have nothing to hold against us!”

The room was overcome with silence, the students taking in what Kaito had just said. He was right; unlike their previous motive, there was something the students could do to get involved. Shuichi had already shared his secret with Rantaro and Kaede, so although it wouldn’t be easy, he was willing to tell the others if he had to.

“That idea is awful.” Maki shot him down straight away.

“W-what, why?” a confused Kaito replied.

“Because it puts too much trust in all of us,” Maki explained. “Do you think people will really want to expose their darkest secrets? No. I wouldn’t be surprised if most people lie, picking the best secret out of a bad bunch.”

Gonta joined in, in support of Kaito. “Gonta would tell truth.”

“I know that it would be difficult for everyone to tell the truth,” Kaito reasoned. “But that has to be better than someone turning to murder.”

“To you, it might seem better to expose yourself rather than commit murder, but you can’t speak for everyone in this room.” Maki rebutted.

“Are you referring to yourself there, Maki?” Kokichi tilted his head. “Would you rather take a life than let your secret be exposed?”

“I’m not talking about myself,” Maki said, through gritted teeth. “I’m just saying, everyone reacts to situations differently. You can’t tar everyone with the same brush just because that’s how you think.”

“But...would someone really go to such a length to protect their secret?” Kaede frowned, disheartened at the idea.

“Secrets are very powerful things,” Korekiyo remarked.

“No, this is ridiculous.” Kaito shook his head. “I understand that no one wants their secret exposed, but surely people wouldn’t turn to murder just to protect it.”

“Why don’t we just throw away the cards?” Tsumugi suggested.

“Even if we did, I can’t see Monokuma just erasing the motive.” Ryoma pointed out. “He’d find a new way to display the secrets.”

“Ryoma’s right.” Shuichi sighed. “Monokuma wouldn’t let us just dispose of the cards. The only way to erase this motive would be to share our secrets.”

“What if we made a pact instead?” Tenko suggested. “We could all promise not to read the cards and stay away from the gymnasium.”

“That’s stupid, for multiple reasons,” Maki said bluntly.

Tenko did a double take. “E-excuse me?”

“Firstly, making a promise with total strangers involves too much trust,” Maki said, her eyes narrowed. “Secondly, the issue here isn’t the cards themselves. Even if we did avoid the gym, Monokuma will still share our secrets in two days, regardless.”

“Maki’s right,” Rantaro agreed. “There’s no point trying to hide the cards from everyone. We might as well just read them all to get things in the open…”

“Y-you want to read them?” Tsumugi said, weakly.

“They’re public information,” Rantaro reminded her. “It’s best that we’re all on the same page for now and know the potential secrets at hand.”

“I suppose no harm should come from this,” Korekiyo said. “Simply reading the cards won’t affect anything.”

“Right then,” Rantaro didn’t hesitate. “Who wants to go first?”

“I don’t think we should read them out loud,” Kaede said. “Someone might give something away with their tone or expression, which doesn’t seem fair.”

“That’s a good point.” Rantaro nodded. “Okay then, everyone read the cards in your own time and we’ll discuss it afterwards. We won’t say anything until then.”

Shuichi started on the far left, beginning with Keebo’s mannequin. It felt wrong reading other people’s potential secrets, but he wanted to gather as much information as possible about the motive.

**Two Lies and a Truth:  Keebo**

  * **Keebo is the mole.**


  * **Keebo’s weakness is sweets. If he eats one, then he explodes.**


  * **Keebo has a reset mode, which wipes all of his data. It’s under his collar.**



The next mannequin was Himiko’s.

**Two Lies and a Truth:  Himiko Yumeno**

  * **Himiko Yumeno is not really a mage.**


  * **Himiko Yumeno is the mole.**


  * **Himiko Yumeno betrays the magic circle and sells tricks for money.**



Miu’s mannequin followed.

**Two Lies and a Truth:  Miu Iruma**

  * **Miu Iruma is the mole.**


  * **Miu Iruma is a virgin.**


  * **Miu Iruma wears padded bras.**



Next, Ryoma’s.

**Two Lies and a Truth:  Ryoma Hoshi**

  * **Ryoma Hoshi is unloved and nobody cares about him.**


  * **Ryoma Hoshi is the most dangerous pupil at the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles.**


  * **Ryoma Hoshi is the mole.**



Shuichi bypassed his own mannequin, which was next in line, as well as Maki’s, which he had already read. The next mannequin he came to was Rantaro’s.

**Two Lies and a Truth:  Rantaro Amami**

  * **Rantaro Amami is the mole.**


  * **Rantaro Amami is responsible for his little sister’s disappearance.**


  * **Rantaro Amami does not have a talent and bought the title of being an Ultimate.**



Shuichi found himself facing Tenko’s mannequin next.

**Two Lies and a Truth:  Tenko Chabashira**

  * **Tenko Chabashira kills men; they call her the Black Widow Killer.**


  * **Tenko Chabashira injures her competitors before matches, in order to win competitions.**


  * **Tenko Chabashira is the mole.**



The next two mannequins were Tsumugi’s, then Kaede’s.

**Two Lies and a Truth:  Tsumugi Shirogane**

  * **Tsumugi Shirogane is the mole.**


  * **Tsumugi Shirogane lies about cospox; it doesn’t exist.**


  * **Tsumugi Shirogane cosplays as her favourite fictional villains and commits brutal murders as them.**



**Two Lies and a Truth:  Kaede Akamatsu**

  * **Kaede Akamatsu is dead.**


  * **Kaede Akamatsu is the mole.**


  * **Kaede Akamatsu betrayed her own sister in order to become an Ultimate.**



Shuichi rolled his eyes, had Monokuma run out of secrets already? Kaede clearly wasn't dead! Then again, that narrowed down the possibility of her secret to number two or number three. At a guess, it was probably the third one, since Shuichi didn't believe for a single minute that Kaede was the mole. Kaito’s mannequin was next to Kaede’s.

**Two Lies and a Truth:  Kaito Momota**

  * **Kaito Momota is the mole.**


  * **Kaito Momota never passed his space exams; he cheated.**


  * **Kaito Momota is responsible for the death of his parents.**



Gonta's came after Kaito’s.

**Two Lies and a Truth: Gonta Gokuhara**

  * **Gonta Gokuhara killed an endangered spider.**


  * **Gonta Gokuhara sells valuable, rare bugs on the black market.**


  * **Gonta Gokuhara is the mole.**



The final two mannequins belonged to Korekiyo and Kokichi.

**Two Lies and a Truth:  Korekiyo Shinguji**

  * **Korekiyo Shinguji wears a mask and bandages, as his body is covered in scars from a fire that he started on purpose.**


  * **Korekiyo Shinguji is the mole.**


  * **Korekiyo Shinguji has murdered 97 young women and is looking for his next victim.**



**Two Lies and a Truth:  Kokichi Oma**

  * **Kokichi Oma’s life is insured for over 50 million yen.**


  * **Kokichi Oma is the leader of a group named DICE.**


  * **Kokichi Oma is the mole.**



Having read all fourteen cards, Shuichi took a moment to gather himself, as his mind had gone into overdrive. Some people had gotten off lighter than others, but all of the secrets were pretty bad. Shuichi couldn’t even begin to imagine what was true and what wasn’t. Not knowing the truth was almost worse, because the students could speculate.

“Have you noticed?” Shuichi asked, looking around the group. “Everyone has been accused of being the mole.”

“That means Monokuma was listening to our conversation before about trying to trap the mole.” Kaede said.

“So, that means the mole is definitely amongst us?” Tenko gasped.

“They must be,” Korekiyo said. “As it has to be someone’s truth…”

“Not necessarily,” Shuichi shook his head. “That could be a lie, for everyone. But it is a little suspicious that Monokuma included that secret on every card.”

“Yeah, I’m more likely to believe that there is a mole than there isn’t.” Rantaro agreed. “Besides, we found all that evidence from before.”

“It’s a bit strange though, isn’t it?” Kaede frowned. “I thought the mole would be working with Monokuma, so why would he try to expose them?”

“I’m not sure if anyone ever truly works with Monokuma.” Kaito gave his opinion. “He seems like the kind of bear who would screw you over, no matter what.”

“It also puts pressure on the mole to get killing,” Kokichi spoke up. “I guess they're kinda like Monokuma’s security blanket, to guarantee that a crime occurs.”

“That’s true.” Rantaro agreed. “If it’s getting close to the time limit and no one’s been killed, the mole will probably step up, out of panic. It’s a pretty bad secret to have exposed, which would probably see you isolated from the group.”

“I wonder who it is…” Tsumugi pondered.

“What if we tried guessing everyone's secrets?" Tenko suggested.

“That’s a bad idea.” Rantaro shook his head. “There’s no way we can know for certain, so it’ll only cause speculation. I don’t want to be judging someone wrongly for a secret that isn’t theirs.”

“I agree,” Kaede nodded. “No good will come from guessing.”

“Why can’t we just expose our own secrets?” Kaito insisted. “If Monokuma has nothing to blackmail us with, that basically erases the motive.”

“We’ve already fuckin’ discussed this, dickwad.” Miu snapped.

“Miu, you seem especially protective over your secret,” Kokichi observed.

“I’m not bein’ protective, I’m just bored shitless of Kaito’s stupidity.” Miu barked.

“Sorry to change the subject, but Tsumugi, I have a question for you,” Kaede said. “If you wouldn’t mind, could you tell us what cospox is? It was on your card and I’ve never heard of it before.”

“Oh, I’m surprised I haven’t mentioned it before,” Tsumugi replied. “Cospox is a disease that I suffer with. It stops me from cosplaying as real people.”

“That’s a...disease?” Kaito scratched his head.

Tsumugi nodded. “If I were to try and cosplay as one of you guys, I'd get a nasty rash that turns my skin bright pink and I’d itch all over! It stops me from imitating real people.”

“Okay, that’s clearly Tsumugi’s truth,” Kokichi concluded. "She's lying about cospox." 

"Why would she wanna lie about that?" Kaito frowned, puzzled.

"It's obvious," Kokichi replied. "Tsumugi is the Ultimate Cosplayer. If she wanted to commit a murder, she could easily cosplay as one of us and frame us for the crime. She's made up this stupid disease, so we don't think it's possible." 

"It does sound rather fictional." Korekiyo agreed. 

"I'd never thought of that before, Tsumugi cosplaying as one of us to commit a crime..." Rantaro muttered. 

“Tsumugi, you need to prove this to us,” Tenko said. “One of you degenerates get undressed and give Tsumugi your clothes.”

“Careful now, Tsumugi,” Korekiyo said eerily. “If you prove to us that this is one of your lies, you’re narrowing down the possibility of your truth. If cospox does indeed exist, then that means you’re either the mole or a murderer. Do you really wish to expose yourself?”

“Korekiyo, don’t influence her,” Miu folded her arms in annoyance. “If she is a mole or a murderer, then we deserve to know!”

“And this is exactly why we can’t reveal our secrets…” Maki muttered under her breath.

“If you’ve got somethin’ to say, speak up, bitch breath.” Miu glared.

“Don’t you see? You’re already judging Tsumugi because she might be a murderer.” Maki said. “You act like that’s so terrible, but have you forgotten that we’re in prison? We all could be murderers.”

“Yeah well, I’ve got nothin’ about murder on my card, so I’m pretty certain I’m not a killer.” Miu retorted.

“So you’d view Tsumugi as a threat,” Maki elaborated. “You might isolate her, or even try to kill her, because you're worried she'll kill you first. You could've committed a deadly crime too, but you just don't remember.”

“I see…” Shuichi said. He now completely understood why Maki didn’t want them to share their secrets. “If we learnt the truth, and some people here really are killers, it’s going to change everything.”

“We’d be much more paranoid of each other.” Ryoma said.

“But what’s our alternative?” Kaede sighed. “We say nothing and another killing occurs?”

“I don’t know what we’re supposed to do,” Maki said honestly. “But I think you’ll now understand why this motive is just as cruel as the first, if not worse.”

“It’s set to turn us against each other…” Rantaro concluded. “To make certain people seem like a threat.”

"That's why the secrets are imbalanced," Keebo realised. "Some seem worse than others to cause a divide." 

“We need to find a way to overcome this,” Kaito said, beginning to pace around the room. “We can’t let anyone else turn to murder. I’m not going to watch someone else die.”

“We need a plan,” Shuichi agreed. “I just don’t know what that plan could be...” 

“We’ve got some time to think of one,” Tenko said positively. “The deadline isn’t for another two days.”

“It’s best we have some time to process what has just happened,” Korekiyo agreed. “We are in shock.”

“I think we should get some breakfast and talk about the motive later,” Kaede suggested. “They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, after all.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Kaito nodded. “I can never think on an empty stomach.”

Collectively, the students travelled to the dining hall for some much-needed breakfast, doing the best they could to put the motive out of their minds. As expected, Maki didn’t join them, since protecting her lab was her priority. When they reached the dining hall, Shuichi noticed that Rantaro had bailed too; he was nowhere to be seen. Shuichi had no idea where he’d gone, since he'd slipped away without saying anything. 

“Did anyone see where Rantaro went?” Shuichi asked, as he walked into the dining hall.

“No, I thought he was following us.” Kaede replied. “That’s strange, it’s not like him to miss a meal.”

“It’s not just Rantaro that’s slipped away,” Tenko frowned. “Himiko and Tsumugi aren’t here either.”

“What are they doing?” Shuichi asked.

“Holding one of their precious prayer circles in the Shrine of Judgement,” Tenko spoke through gritted teeth. “I’m not invited, so I’ve been left to make the breakfast all by myself.”

“Tenko, you don’t have to keep cooking for us,” Kaede said sincerely. “We can fix ourselves something.”

“It’s fine,” Tenko insisted, although she wasn’t very convincing.

“We could just wait for them,” Keebo suggested.

“I’m too hungry to wait,” Tenko shook her head.

The bitterness was apparent. Tenko stormed into the kitchen, disappearing out sight, and began slamming cupboards and banging pans. Shuichi had no idea what was going on, and he certainly wasn’t going to investigate, not whilst Tenko seemed so on edge.

In less than two minutes, Tenko returned. She was armed with a large mixing bowl, which she placed on the table in a rather aggravated fashion. Shuichi warily looked in the bowl, curious to see what she’d made in such a short space of time. Inside the bowl was a giant serving of Frosted Flakes and milk. This was no better than Tsumugi’s lifeless toast.

“Is...is this one serving?” Kokichi raised his brow. "I know Miu is a fat pig, but I don't think the rest of us could manage such a large portion size."  

“Nope, this is for everyone,” Tenko shook her head. As she spoke, she handed out spoons. “Dig in!”

"You expect ten of us to eat from the same bowl?" Korekiyo frowned disapprovingly. "We aren't animals." 

"Typical degenerate behaviour," Tenko rolled her eyes. "You're so selfish! If you don't like it, then go hungry." 

Shuichi felt incredibly uncomfortable as he leant across the table and helped himself to a spoonful of cereal. Milk spilt everywhere as he brought the serving back to his mouth. This certainly wasn’t practical, so he never went back for a second helping. He kept his feelings to himself, since he didn't want to offend Tenko. 

Kaito didn’t seem phased and happily dug in. “Y’know, today marks an entire week since we’ve been in the academy.”

“You mean prison.” Tenko corrected him.

“A week, is that all?” Korekiyo asked.

“Yup, seven entire days.” Kaito said.

“It could just be me, but it feels like we’ve been here forever.” Kaede admitted.

“I feel the same way,” Keebo said. “It’s probably because so much has happened to us since we’ve been here.”

“We knew Kirumi and Angie for only a week…” Gonta pointed out.

“That almost doesn’t seem real.” Shuichi said. "It felt like we'd known them for months." 

“More importantly, it’s been an entire week and no one has come to save us.” Miu pouted. “The world is filled with selfish people.”

"If seven days went this slowly, then imagine what a month is going to feel like..." Ryoma said. 

"Or a year." Kokichi chipped in.

"That's unbearable." Tenko cried. 

"Sorry guys, I didn't mean to make breakfast this depressing," Kaito apologised. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything..." 

The rest of the meal was spent awkwardly in silence, with no one sure of how to lighten the mood. Just as the students were finishing up with their cereal, Himiko and Tsumugi finally arrived at the dining hall. They swanned into the room, armed with fresh pastries.

“We brought breakfast!” Tsumugi said cheerfully. “We found these over at the warehouse and they look plain delicious!”

Tenko crossed her arms. "We've already eaten." 

Shuichi looked longingly at the pastries. He was desperate for one, but didn’t want to upset Tenko.

“Oh, well we can save these for later then,” Tsumugi said. “Do you want one now, Himiko?”

"Let's just take them to my lab," Himiko suggested.

"Good idea!" Tsumugi exclaimed. "Maybe the sugar will help you with your tricks."

"Are you practising some magic, Himiko?" Kaito asked.

Shuichi winced. With Tenko in the room, this wasn't going to go down well.

Himiko nodded. "We're practising my magic, because I'd like to put on a show. Tsumugi's my assistant." 

Tenko wore a stone-cold expression, but she didn't vent her frustration, which made for a change. It seemed like she was biting her tongue. Unless she was past the point of caring, but Shuichi wasn't sure that he believed that. 

"A show?" Kaede smiled. "Will we get to see it?"

"When it's finished," Himko replied. "I'm teaching Tsumugi the basics, because she's new to magic." 

"I'm having so much fun," Tsumugi grinned. "We've been making good progress, so the show might even be ready in the next couple of days."

"W-what?" Tenko cried, unable to bite her tongue any longer. "Y-you've been practising magic already?"

"We've been practising ever since Himiko's lab opened," Tsumugi said. 

"B-but Himiko," Tenko protested. "I asked you if you wanted to practise together and you said no."

"That's because I only need one assistant," Himiko reasoned. 

Shuichi's attention had been on Himiko, but out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Kokichi up to no good. Kokichi had snuck his video camera to breakfast and was sneakily recording the argument that was unfolding. 

"Kokichi, stop filming this!" Shuichi frowned. He didn't want to cause a second argument, but this behaviour wasn't acceptable.

"Awww, why'd you have to rat me out, Shuichi!" Kokichi complained. "This is important documentary footage."

"Y-you were filming us again?!" Tenko snapped. "Kokichi, that's out of order."

"What's the issue?" Kokichi said. "All good documentaries need a source of conflict, otherwise, it's just boring." 

"Someone needs to take the camera away from that little shit." Miu growled. 

"Let's not start this again," Kaede said diplomatically. "We've finished our food, so why don't we get on with our mornings?"

With Rantaro nowhere to be seen, Shuichi spent the rest of his morning with Kaede. They spent their time reorganising the CDs in her lab, which Kokichi had confessed to messing up during the first trial. Nearly every single CD was in the wrong case, so it took hours rearranging them. It was tedious work, but provided them with an opportunity to privately discuss the new motive.

“I wonder if anyone has thought of a solution for the motive yet,” Kaede wondered out loud. “A way for us to overcome it…”

“Not to sound negative, but I doubt it,” Shuichi replied. “Monokuma designs his motives to encourage the killing game, so I think he does his best to make them foolproof.”

Kaede sighed, as she prised open another CD case. “You’re right. The only way to completely erase the motive would be to confess our secrets.”

“Exactly,” Shuichi nodded. “Except Monokuma knows that fourteen people would never agree to that, thus his motive stands strong.”

“I can’t imagine anyone committing a murder now,” Kaede said. “I mean, I know we’ve only been here a week, but it feels like we know each other so well.”

“We may seem like a close group of classmates, but I wouldn’t put my trust in everybody here,” Shuichi admitted. “People can become very selfish, given the right push. It’s human nature.”

"Do you-" Kaede had a question in store for Shuichi, but she was interrupted by the chimes of an announcement.

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_

As the announcement rang over the speakers, Monokuma’s face appeared on the nearest monitor. “This is your headmaster speaking. Everyone must immediately make their way over to the gymnasium. I have a surprise for you! Be there, or I'll turn you into dinner for the Exisals!”

Shuichi couldn’t help but sigh. What did the bear want now?! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just made a little update to this chapter.
> 
> Monokuma originally said the motive time limit is 2 days away. I've changed that to 48 hours away just to make it a bit clearer when the time limit is up :)   
> Nothing's actually changed, I just wanted it to read a bit clearer.


	9. The Twisted Treasure Hunt (2.3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,
> 
> Sorry, there hasn't been an update in a short while. I finished university this month, so I've had a lot of work and essay writing to do. Also, we're approaching the next murder case and I like to ensure that the murder, investigation, and trial are all written before I post any of them. This is so I can iron out any plot holes etc. So in the free time I have had, I've been working on all of that. Butttt they're just about finished (besides from some proofreading)! So that means the next few chapters should be uploaded pretty regularly. 
> 
> Also, the uni essays are done, so I can properly get back to this fic!!
> 
> Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy! :)

Shuichi found himself visiting the gymnasium for the second time that day, as per Monokuma’s instructions. The door was unlocked this time, so he headed straight inside, accompanied by Kaede. A handful of students were already there, passing the time with conversation until Monokuma arrived. Rantaro was amongst these students; Shuichi made a beeline for his friend, as he hadn’t seen him since breakfast.

“Two announcements in one day,” Shuichi said, joining in with their conversation. “This has to be a new record.”

"I wonder what this is even about." Kaede pondered. 

“I’ve already checked the mannequins, and nothing’s changed, so I don’t think this is related to the motive,” Rantaro said.

"Monokuma is up to no good," Tenko remarked. "You can't trust anything he does." 

"Knowing Monokuma, he's probably just bored and looking for another way to waste our time," Ryoma muttered. 

After five minutes or so, all fourteen students had arrived. Maki seemed especially irritated, since she'd been forced to leave her lab. Shuichi pretended that he couldn't see her drumming her foot impatiently and carried on talking with his friends. 

Another several minutes passed before Monokuma finally arrived. He casually strolled into the room, as if he had all of the time in the world. His four Kubs followed behind him. 

"I'm glad to see you're all here," Monokuma said, greeting the students. "It's nice to see you treating your Headmaster with some respect, for once." 

"What took you so long?" Maki frowned. "You told us to get here immediately." 

"I had an upset stomach," Monokuma replied. "I think I ate some dodgy salmon for breakfast!" 

"That's Monophanie's fault," Monokid blurted out. "She's the one who cooked it for you." 

"I-it wasn't my fault," Monophanie protested. "Monokid took your salmon and rubbed his dirty paws all over it. He's practically riddled with bacteria!" 

Monokuma growled. "Stop bickering you two! We'll sort this out later."

Shuichi watched on in confusion. This was like some kind of deranged play.

"Would you mind getting to the point?" Korekiyo asked, the irritation in his tone apparent. "Some of us have better things to be doing." 

"The hormones in here are strong today," Monokuma scoffed. "What's with all the attitude?"

"Just get to the point." Maki snapped.

"Fine," Monokuma backed down. "Well, the reason I've brought you here, is because I've noticed a lot of tension in the academy today."   
  
“That’s hardly surprising, with your new motive…” Kaito muttered under his breath.

“So, to lighten your spirits, I’ve prepared a little treasure hunt for you!” Monokuma revealed. “There are two _very_ special prizes waiting for you somewhere in the academy.”

“Prizes?” Himiko repeated.

“Yup!” Monokuma nodded eagerly. "I think you'll be impressed." 

“Are these like the prizes we received yesterday?” Keebo asked. “Will they unlock new rooms in the school?”

“Or new flashback light?" Gonta suggested.

“I can’t confirm or deny anything,” Monokuma replied. “But, these prizes are exactly what you need to get you in the mood for the motive."

"Wait a minute!" Kaede exclaimed. “If the prizes are supposed to get us in the mood for the motive, isn’t that a bad thing?!”

Tenko folded her arms. “Yeah, it sounds like a trap.”

"You lot always look at things so negatively," Monokuma said. "Can't you just accept two nice prizes without complaining? I even turned this into a treasure hunt to make things fun!"

"I don't trust your treasure hunt," Himiko voiced her concerns. "Atua has a bad feeling too." 

"Not this Atua bullshit again!" Miu complained. 

"I share the same bad feeling," Tsumugi agreed. "I think we're best to ignore the treasure hunt." 

"We don't wanna interact with anything that'd get us in the mood for the motive," Kaito said firmly. "Let's ignore this." 

"I don't think we should," Rantaro disagreed. "If the two prizes are somewhere in the school, we're gonna come across them sooner or later. If someone finds one of the prizes by accident, and it relates to the motive, they might keep that information to themselves." 

"That is a possibility I had not considered," Korekiyo said. "We use practically every room in the academy, so avoiding the prizes seems like an impossible task."

"Rantaro's right; we're going to stumble upon them sooner or later," Shuichi agreed. "I think we better take part in this treasure hunt, so at least we're all in this together." 

"It's better than letting one person get the advantage," Rantaro concluded. 

“We should split up and look for the prizes then!” Kokichi said.

“Why do you wanna split up?” Kaito frowned, instantly suspicious. “You wanna keep the prizes for yourself, don't you?”

"I'd never dream of such a thing, Kaito." Kokichi protested his innocence. However, Shuichi suspected this to be a lie. 

“If someone finds the prizes first, they might hide them.” Kaede pointed out.

"We can't let that happen." Tsumugi shook her head. 

“Then let’s go around in pairs,” Tenko suggested.

“That’s still not ideal,” Kaito said. “Two people could hide the prizes; they'd take one each.”

“We should reform the groups we had when exploring the new rooms,” Rantaro decided. "Three to four people in a team seems pretty trustworthy." 

"I'd be comfortable with that arrangement," Korekiyo nodded. 

"So, if we're back in our old groups, that puts me with Kaede, Shuichi, and Miu," Rantaro said. 

Shuichi hated the idea of working with Miu again, but it was a sensible suggestion to form the same groups. Otherwise, they were going to spend all afternoon trying to create new ones. “That works with me.”

“Gonta and Ryoma were with me.” Korekiyo reminded them.

“I was with Kaito, Maki, and Kokichi,” Keebo said.

“Which leaves Tenko, Tsumugi, and Himiko together,” Rantaro concluded.

Shuichi knew that things had been awkward between the three girls, so he decided to offer a helping hand, in case one of them wanted an excuse to change groups. "Before we get going, does anyone want to make any swaps?" 

“Don’t interfere, degenerate.” Tenko scowled.

“I’ll take that as a no then…” Shuichi muttered; his efforts were wasted. 

“So, how’s the best way to do this?” Kaito asked. “Should we tackle a different area of the school each?”

“Don’t include me in this,” Maki stated. “I’m not taking part.”

“But you’re part of our team,” Kaito protested.

“Well, as my teammates, you can come and find me outside of my lab when you discover the prizes,” Maki instructed. She turned on her heels and walked out of the gymnasium before anyone could persuade her otherwise. 

"Bye then..." Rantaro muttered, before refocusing his attention on the plan. "Well anyway, I think our best approach would be for each group to visit a different floor of the school. Otherwise, we'll be going around in circles and constantly crossing paths." 

"That makes sense." Shuichi nodded.

"So, if my group covers this floor," Rantaro said, delegating instructions. "Tsumugi, your team could cover the outside space. Korekiyo, take your team to the second floor. And Keebo, your group can cover the third floor, so at least you're near Maki." 

No one had any complaints, so Rantaro's plan was final. 

"We'll each investigate our own floors, but if no one has any luck, we can swap around, in case we're missing something obvious." Rantaro continued. "A fresh pair of eyes can be helpful sometimes." 

"This sounds like a lot of effort," Himiko pouted. "If someone finds the prizes, how are we going to know? Everyone's going to be all over the place and we'll be searching aimlessly."

"That's a good point," Shuichi noted. "There's no easy way of letting the other groups know that a prize has been found." 

"Not unless you use the walkie talkies...." Kokichi pointed out.

"Walkie talkies?" Shuichi repeated.

"Yeah, haven't you seen them in the warehouse?" Kokichi replied. "I'm surprised you never noticed them Shuichi, because they're basically next to the video cameras." 

"Oh," Shuichi said. "I can't say I've ever seen them before." 

"Are you lying again, Kokichi?" Tenko frowned. 

"Nope. I'm really not, for once," Kokichi said. "I'll show you, if don't believe me." 

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look," Kaito said. "Walkie talkies would make this a lot easier, for sure." 

Putting their faith in Kokichi, the students left the gymnasium and followed him to the warehouse. Much to Shuichi's surprise, Kokichi had been telling the truth; there was a box filled with walkie talkies next to the video cameras. The devices were handed out to one member of each team, and connected to the right frequency, so they could easily get ahold of one another if need be. 

Shuichi and his group were responsible for searching the first floor. They were already at the right location, so they watched the other teams depart before beginning their investigation.

“So…” Rantaro said. “Do we look around the warehouse, or not?”

“We have to search everywhere, idiot,” Miu scorned.

“I know that,” Rantaro said calmly. “But this warehouse is filled with every kind of supply your brain can possibly imagine. How are we supposed to know if any of these items are the prizes?”  
  
“Hmm, I hadn’t thought of that,” Shuichi admitted. “We’ll be here for hours if we look through every corner of this warehouse.”

“Treasure hunts are supposed to fun, so I imagine the prizes will be fairly easy to find,” Kaede reasoned. “Which makes me think they aren’t in this room.”

“This is Monokuma’s treasure hunt though,” Shuichi pointed out. “And I’m not sure if fun is a word I associate with him.”

“Okay, how about we search the other rooms first?” Rantaro suggested. “If we don’t find anything, and the others don’t either, then we’ll return here.”

“Sounds good to me,” Miu nodded. “I ain’t searchin’ through this shit.”

"So much for searching everywhere, Miu..." Rantaro muttered.

Since it was too much to handle, they left the warehouse and travelled across the corridor to the dining hall. Once inside, they looked absolutely everywhere they could think of, including inside all of the kitchen cupboards and under the table. Unfortunately, nothing was out of the ordinary, so on with their search they went.

Himiko's lab was the next location on their list. However, they had no luck there either. They ignored the gym, since they’d been there with Monokuma, and moved on to the toilets.

“Don’t use this as an excuse to follow me into the girls’ loos, Poochi you perv,” Miu smirked.

Shuichi gritted his teeth and did his best to ignore her. If he received a Yen for every time Miu called him a perv, he'd probably have enough money by now to buy his way out of the Ultimate Academy.

Miu and Kaede ventured off into the girls' toilets, whilst Rantaro and Shuichi tackled the boys'. They peered inside every stall, but there was nothing to be found. The two pairs reunited in the hallway, where the girls shared their disappointment also.

"I know treasure hunts are supposed to be fun, but I'm not sure that I'm enjoying myself," Shuichi admitted, speaking honestly about his feelings.

"It's probably because we've got so much space to cover," Kaede said. "And we don't know what we're looking for either." 

"What do you reckon the prizes are?" Miu asked, eagerly. "Entry to the love hotel?"

"Dear god, I hope not," Rantaro winced. 

"It could just be something fun and silly," Kaede theorised. "Like more lilos for the swimming pool."

"Didn't Monokuma say it would get us in the mood for the motive, though?" Shuichi pointed out.

"Maybe he's pranking us," Kaede said. 

"That better not be true," Miu frowned. "Or this is a shitty waste of my time."

"A pile of gold would be nice," Shuichi grinned, letting his imagination run wild.

"I wouldn't be interested in that," Miu bragged.

"Let me guess," Rantaro said. "Because you're a millionaire thanks to all of your inventions?" 

"That's pretty accurate," Miu nodded. "But actually, I'm not interested, because it's one of the updates I have planned for Keebo."

"U-updates?" a confused Kaede repeated.

"Yeah. You know that I've been helping to improve him," Miu said. "Well, I've been developing some new blueprints. My plan is to get Keebo to produce gold, right from his own mouth."

"Does Keebo know about this?" Kaede frowned disapprovingly.

"Not yet," Miu shrugged. "But what does it matter?"

"It sounds like you're exploiting him..." Shuichi said.

"It's not like he's gotta shit the gold outta his asshole!" Miu ranted. "You lot are so boring. I bet you'd still take the gold if I offered it to ya!"

"I'm not sure what gold is going to buy us in here," Shuichi replied. 

Miu opened her mouth, ready to argue back, but she didn't get the opportunity to do so, since the walkie talkie came to life. Ryoma's voice could clearly be heard from the other end.

"This is the second-floor team," he said. "You guys might wanna come to Kirumi's lab. We've found one of the prizes." 

With that, the radio cut out, leaving his message short and sweet.

"Well then," Rantaro said. "Let's go." 

Filled with anticipation, the four students hurried towards the staircase, taking two at a time until they reached the second floor. The door to Kirumi's lab was half open, so Shuichi took this as an instruction to head straight inside and not to wait for the others to arrive.

As soon as Shuichi entered the room, he set eyes on the prize. Although he would hardly call this a prize. What he saw caused his stomach to drop and his blood to run cold. Hanging from the ceiling, supported by a piece of rope attached to the chandelier, was Kirumi's lifeless body. 

Kaede let out a piercing shriek. "Ahhhhhhhh!"

"Don't worry yourselves," Korekiyo said calmly. "It's just a mannequin."

"I-it is?" Shuichi whispered, as he leaned in to take a closer look. Shuichi was overcome with relief, since Korekiyo was right and he found himself staring at another one of Monokuma’s creepy, faceless mannequins. From when he’d originally been standing, the mannequin's face had been covered by a wig, which made for a very convincing Kirumi.

"I-is that blood on its face?" Kaede winced.

Shuichi peered even closer, and spotted it too. Although the mannequin was faceless, there was blood where the eyes and mouth should have been.

"I believe Monokuma has tried to replicate how Kirumi looked when she died," Korekiyo explained.

"But she was on the floor, not hanging from the ceiling..." Miu reminded them.

"I believe he's only replicated the state of the body, rather than the entire crime scene," Korekiyo said. 

"This is beyond sick," Kaede ranted, choked up at what she saw. "It's twisted and disrespectful."

“We thought it was real too, at first,” Korekiyo said. "It gave us quite the fright. Although upon reflection, I must admit, with the use of the chandelier, this looks rather beautiful..." 

“Gonta never seen something so horrible before,” Gonta sighed, his eyes filled with sadness.

Rantaro shook his head in denial. “I can’t believe Monokuma considers this a prize.” 

"I know right!" Miu exclaimed. "This is shit. I was expecting somethin' way more interesting."

"The prize isn't the mannequin, it's what was attached to it," Ryoma informed them.

"What do you mean?" Shuichi asked.

Ryoma pointed to the table. "Take a look at that file. It was pinned to her clothes."

Consumed with curiosity, Shuichi approached the table. He spotted the brown file and picked it up with eager hands. There was writing on the front, which read:

 **CASE FILE:** KIRUMI TOJO

 **STATUS:** CAPTURED.

“What does it say, Shuichi?” Kaede asked.

Shuichi gasped. “I-I think this Kirumi’s case file!"

“Her case file?” Kaede repeated with a blank expression.

“I-it’s a file all about the crimes she's committed,” Shuichi explained. “I’ve seen files like this before in my Uncle’s office. All criminals have one.”

"Should we wait for the others to arrive before reading it?" Kaede asked nervously.

"Don't bother," Ryoma said. "We've already read it."

"I guess they can read it when they get here, then," Kaede said.

Shuichi opened up the file, which contained several pieces of paper. On the first page, there was a picture of Kirumi. It felt nice to see her face again. Underneath, there was some basic information about her, similarly to what Shuichi had seen in the Monokuma File; details of her height, blood type, etc. He turned over the page, where he was confronted with a document that had been written on a typewriter. It was titled: 'The Crime of Kirumi Tojo'.

"You guys should come and take a look at this," Shuichi said, beckoning Kaede, Rantaro, and Miu to come closer. They moved in towards him and looked over his shoulder.

"T-this really is Kirumi's crime!" Kaede gasped.

"Looks like we get to see all the nasty shit Kirumi did," Miu muttered.

“A-are we sure we want to read this?” Kaede hesitated. “I mean, once we learn what Kirumi did, there’s no going back.”

“Korekiyo, Gonta, and Ryoma already know what Kirumi’s done,” Rantaro said logically. “There’s no point keeping this a secret now.”

“As hard as this is going to be, it’s important that we learn as much of the truth as possible,” Shuichi said.

“I...I suppose that’s true,” Kaede sighed. “Let’s read it…”

Before he got the chance to change his mind, Shuichi forced himself to read the document. 

 

**The Crime of Kirumi Tojo**

**Kirumi Tojo, known for her talent as the Ultimate Maid, is a dangerous individual, who was finally arrested on July 9th, after an intensive undercover operation. Kirumi is known for a wide variety of skills, including cooking and cleaning, however, her strongest talent has become a taste for murder.**

**With a prestigious reputation, it didn’t take long for Kirumi to be snapped up by some of the wealthiest clients in Japan. They paid her well and she performed to a tremendous standard; willing to carry out any job asked of her.**

**Kirumi soon saw herself promoted; she was employed by one of the leading members of the Yakuza. In return for a healthy paycheck and glowing reviews, Kirumi became their personal hit-man, of sorts.**

**She was sent undercover to work for families who were enemies of the Yakuza, where she posed as an ordinary maid. It was her job to build a trusting relationship with the families, until they spilt their secrets. Once there was nothing left to gain, Kirumi would murder every single member of the family, in a way which made their deaths appear accidental. Nobody was spared, not even children.**

**The FBI began to notice a pattern with the deaths of all these innocent people, which soon connected Kirumi to her crimes.** **The Yakuza got what they wanted, without having to get their own hands dirty. Kirumi is a heartless, killing monster, lacking of any morals, who was in no way forced into doing what she did. She will remain in prison until the day she dies.**

As soon as Shuichi finished reading, he dropped the file on the floor; it felt dirty and cursed. “T-this can’t be about Kirumi.” he gasped, his voice trembling.

Miu picked the file up off of the floor. “I hadn’t finished reading, idiot.”

“T-this can’t be real,” Kaede shuddered. “K-Kirumi wouldn’t do something like that. She was one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.”

“But you only met the Kirumi with her dark memories missing,” Ryoma pointed out. “Kirumi with her criminal memories could be an entirely different person, which seems to be the case.”

“Then...then that means we could all be as dark as this...” Kaede whispered, as she wrapped her arms around herself for comfort.

This was a horrible reality that Shuichi didn’t want to think about. And luckily for him, he didn’t have to. For at that very moment, the door burst open and in ran Keebo, Kaito, and Kokichi.

“Sorry we’re late-” Keebo began, before cutting himself short, as his gaze met Kirumi's mannequin. "Ahhhhh!"

Kaito looked a ghostly shade of white. “I-is that a b-body?!”

“It’s not,” Rantaro quickly reassured them. “It’s a mannequin.”

“A-are you sure?!” Kaito gulped.

“Positive.” Rantaro nodded.

“Awww that’s a shame,” Kokichi whined. “A real body would be  _wayyyyy_ more exciting.”

“H-how is this supposed to be a prize?” Keebo said. “I-I thought we’d find a flashback light.”

“ _This_ is the prize,” Miu said, passing Keebo the brown file. “It’s Kirumi’s criminal case file.”

“We’ve already read it, so go ahead,” Ryoma instructed.

The three new arrivals took a minute between them to skim over Kirumi’s file. Kaito and Keebo looked utterly horrified the more that they read on, but Kokichi began to laugh.

“Wow, Kirumi, I’m impressed!” Kokichi grinned. “There was more to her character after all.”

"Don't talk like that," Kaede glared at Kokichi. 

The walkie talkie came to life once again, and this time, Tenko’s voice could be heard. “Um, guys,” she said. “I know we need to visit Kirumi’s lab, but you have to come here first. We’ve found something pretty disturbing at the Shrine of Judgement.”

“I have a bad feelin’ about this…” Kaito said.

"I think we should take this with us," Keebo said, still holding the file. "It will save the others the journey." 

With no time to waste, the students made their way to the Shrine of Judgement. Before they reached the door, Tenko stepped outside to greet them, temporarily blocking their path.

“Before you go in, I just want to say, things aren’t as bad as they may look,” Tenko warned them. “I just-”

Shuichi interrupted her. “It’s another mannequin, isn’t it? Angie’s.”

“H-how do you know?” Tenko replied, surprised by Shuichi’s knowledge.

“We found Kirumi’s in her lab,” Shuichi said.

“I-I just wanted to warn you, so you didn’t think you were seeing a real body, like we originally did,” Tenko explained. “But since you already know, I guess there’s no reason to keep you waiting.”

Tenko moved out of the way and opened the door, allowing the others to pass her. She followed in behind them, closing the door as she did so.

The usually peacefully Shrine of Judgement seemed especially chilling, since a mannequin, that replicated Angie, had been dumped in the fountain. The body of the mannequin had been cut in places; replicating Angie’s execution.

The shock was less horrifying this time, since Shuichi knew that he was staring at a mannequin. That being said, he still found it difficult to look at. The mannequin was covered in violent scars, which reminded him of the pain Angie had to endure during the final moments of her life.

“Monokuma really didn’t need to go into this much detail,” Tsumugi shuddered.

Just like with Kirumi’s mannequin, there was a brown envelope attached to Angie's outfit. Shuichi took it upon himself to remove it. Thankfully, it wasn't too wet, despite the mannequin floating in the water. 

“What are you doing?!” Tenko exclaimed.

“I’m taking the case file,” Shuichi explained. “There was one of these attached to Kirumi as well.”

“We didn’t wanna touch that,” Himiko shook her head. “I have a bad feeling it contains some dark magic.”

“We already opened Kirumi’s,” Korekiyo said. “It’s a case file, which will explain the crime Angie is guilty of committing.”

“In other words, the prize,” Rantaro added.

“T-that isn’t a prize!” Tenko objected, utterly disgusted. 

"It is in Monokuma's eyes," Ryoma said.

"We should see what it says," Shuichi instructed.

"S-surely you don't want to read it?" a horrified Tenko gasped.

"I really don't, not after reading Kirumi's," Shuichi said. "But I'm pretty certain that if we don't read it now, Monokuma will only go and show us another way." 

"Yeah, I get the feeling this treasure hunt isn't so optional after all..." Kaito agreed. 

"We brought Kirumi's file, by the way," Keebo said, passing it to Tsumugi. "You don't have to read it, but everyone else has."

"I-I think I better then," Tsumugi nodded, opening the file.

As the three girls looked over Kirumi's file, Shuichi took the opportunity to read Angie's. A couple of his friends were peering over his shoulder, but there wasn't enough room for everyone to read it at once, so the others would have to wait. 

 **CASE FILE:** ANGIE YONAGA.

 **STATUS:** CAPTURED.

The file was identical to Kirumi's, with a photo of Angie and some of her basic information. This part wasn't important, so Shuichi skipped ahead. 

 

 **The Crime of Angie Yonaga**  

**Angie Yonaga is known as the Ultimate Artist, thanks to her wonderful creative ability. All artists have their muse, but it just so happens that Angie sought hers from the darkest of places. Better known as the ‘Arsonist Artist’, she has ruined many, many lives.**

**A small island soon found themselves victims of a series of horrific fires. It all began with a forest fire, which lasted for several days. Wildlife was destroyed, habitats ruined, and people injured. It seemed like an accident, a terrible tragedy.**

**But soon, another fire occurred on the other side of the island. Lives were lost this time. This pattern continued for weeks; random fires cropping up all over the island. The death count was rising and the island was in a state of emergency. Nobody could understand why this was happening.**

**Fortunately, for the people of the island, the truth was discovered. One of the local residents…Angie Yonaga had been starting the fires for her latest art project. She would torch down whatever she wanted, just so she could paint the 'beautiful flames’.** **When questioned, Angie claimed to be possessed by a God, who made her do this, but this is clearly a desperate attempt for a lighter sentence. Angie will never see the outside world again.**

Shuichi passed the file around and waited in silence until everyone had read it.

Tsumugi was the last one to see it. "This...this has to be a lie! Angie wasn't an arsonist!" 

"This is Angie with her dark memories we're talking about," Kaito said. "The Angie we never met, not the one we knew..."

"Poor Angie, having her name tainted like this, when she can't even defend herself." Tsumugi sighed.

"Don't feel sorry for her, Tsumugi," Kokichi said. "She was a murderer! Just like Kirumi!" 

"M-maybe the fires were accidental," Tsumugi protested, desperate to protect Angie.

"I somehow doubt it..." Rantaro said. "The first time we met her she was trying to take Korekiyo's blood."

"I did consent to that," Korekiyo reminded him.

"I know," Rantaro said. "I'm just saying, this ain't exactly outside of Angie's realm."

"What makes these prizes?" Himiko asked, as she lowered her head. "I wish we'd never even started this treasure hunt."

“They’re not prizes, they’re motivation,” Rantaro said. “Monokuma is trying to make us paranoid. Look at how we just reacted to Kirumi and Angie’s crimes; we’re horrified.”

“He’s giving us further motivation to protect our secrets…” Korekiyo pointed out.

“Like we said before, if these secrets get out, everything changes,” Kokichi said.

“What are you lot complaining about now?” Monokuma huffed, appearing at the scene. “This has become the Ultimate Academy for Negative Students.”

“You said this was going to be fun,” Kaito ranted, aiming his anger at Monokuma. “You said this was supposed to cheer us up.”

“Did I?” Monokuma tilted his head. “Oops, I must’ve muddled up my words. I meant that this will cheer _me_ up because it gets _you_ in the mood for the motive.”

“Your plan isn’t going to work!” Kaito exclaimed. “Nothing’s changed.”

“Then you must be lying to yourself,” Monokuma retorted. "Besides, until now, you guys haven't shut up about trying to discover your past. Why the sudden change of heart?" 

"We didn't wanna find out like this," Kaito shook his head. "Why would you replicate their corpses? That's fucked up, man."

"I'm not a man, I'm a bear," Monokuma corrected him. "And I did it like this for the entertainment value."

"You're a monster." Kaito glared.

“Be careful with that lip of yours,” Monokuma folded his paws. “Otherwise, I’ll expose all of your secrets right now!”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Rantaro challenged him. “Cuz it erases your motive.”

Shuichi interrupted them before anyone else could start an argument with Monokuma. "So...that's it? The treasure hunt is over now?"

"Yup!" Monokuma nodded. "Until next time..." 

"Then let's get out of here," Shuichi suggested. "I don't want to look at Angie's mannequin any longer."

Life within the academy had reached a new level of disturbing. Even though they were only mannequins, the injuries looked so realistic, that Shuichi felt as if he’d seen a corpse. He needed to be alone, preferably in his room. It was times like these that the academy felt so incredibly overwhelming. It reminded Shuichi how real his situation was; that he was taking part in a killing game, where life held such little meaning to Monokuma.

 

***

 

The turnout to dinner that night was weak; weaker than usual. Ever since Kirumi’s death, the students had slowly stopped eating dinner together. Breakfast was the only meal they made the effort for, and deep down, the students knew they only did that so they could check that everyone had survived the night.

Shuichi helped himself to some instant noodles, since they were quick and easy, and he wasn’t in the mood for cooking. He wasn’t in the mood for eating either, but he had to force some food into his stomach, so he didn’t suffer for it later. He took his noodles to the table, where he joined Kaede, Kaito, Korekiyo and Tsumugi, who had all made meals of their own.

“I am surprised at how few of us there are,” Korekiyo remarked, as he looked around the group.

“I’ve never seen the dining hall this empty before,” Tsumugi sighed. “It’s plain depressing!”

“I’m surprised Rantaro isn’t here,” Kaito said. “He’s always with you two.” he motioned to Shuichi and Kaede.

“We haven’t seen him very much the past couple of days,” Kaede replied. “I just hope he’s okay.”

“You don’t think he’s up to something, do you?” Korekiyo put forward.

“Like what?” Kaede frowned.

“Maybe he’s plotting a murder to protect his secret,” Korekiyo said.

Kaede fiercely shook her head. “Rantaro would never do something like that; he’s a good person.”

“You’ve only known him for a week.” Korekiyo reminded her, questioning Kaede’s judgement.

“I don’t care,” Kaede argued. “Rantaro would never try and hurt anybody.”

Shuichi joined in and defended Rantaro too. “It’s not just Rantaro who’s missing. Loads of people who usually join us aren’t here.”

“I know Miu took Keebo to her lab,” Tsumugi said. “Something about producing gold?”  
  
“Oh god, she was serious.” Shuichi shuddered.

“And Himiko’s practising some of her magic,” Tsumugi continued. “She wasn’t very hungry, so I’m going to join her afterwards.”

“That reminds me, I better prepare some food to take to Maki.” Kaito said.

Korekiyo looked at him in surprise. “You’re still feeding her?”

Kaito nodded. “I have to, otherwise she wouldn’t eat.”

“Perhaps you should teach her a lesson and let her go hungry,” Korekiyo muttered.

“You try telling her that!” Kaito grinned. “Nah, it doesn’t bother me. It only takes five minutes and I’d rather that than letting her starve. Whatever reason she has for protecting her lab, it must be pretty serious.”

“Soon enough, there might not be any secrets left to protect,” Korekiyo said. “I suppose that depends on what happens over the next two days.”

"I can't think about that deep shit, right now," Kaito replied, as he got up from his seat. "I'm gonna put some food together for Maki. I'll catch you guys later!"

Shuichi saw this as a good opportunity to leave himself. He disposed of his rubbish on the way out of the dining hall and returned to the dormitories. He decided to knock on Rantaro’s door, to see if he could get ahold of his friend, but there was no reply.

Feeling disappointed, although not surprised, Shuichi returned to his own room, where he saw out the rest of the evening. It had been a long day, with the new motive _and_ Monokuma’s twisted treasure hunt. He needed some time alone, because he wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

He had a few hours to kill until the nighttime alarm, so he turned on his television, in search of something interesting to watch. Instead of any normal programs, everything had been replaced with reenactments by the Monokubs. The lineup of shows included Game of Kubs, Doctor Kubs, Brooklyn Mono-Kubs, and so much more. Shuichi settled with The Walking Kubs, which was a tense zombie show, with Monotaro as the protagonist. The acting was surprisingly decent, so he soon found himself getting into the program, and managed to pass by the hours until he went to bed.

 

***

 

_*Ding Dong* *Bing Bong*_

Shuichi opened one eye, peering at the monitor that had disturbed him. He exhaled a deep sigh before climbing out of bed, ready to begin his morning routine. He was busy tucking in his sheets, when something unusual on the monitor caught his attention.

The Monokub’s red sofa looked rather stark, with Monophanie the only one present. Her paws, which were clearly shaking, were clasped around a cup of juice, and her bottom lip was trembling. “G-good morning everyone - I mean ursines. Shine and Rise! No, Rise and Shine.” her voice was all over the place and she seemed flustered. “It’s now 8 a.m. so please get up.” with that, the announcement hurriedly cut out.

“Strange…” Shuichi muttered to himself. Something was definitely bothering Monophanie; she seemed distracted and pretty upset. Not to mention, where were the other three Monokubs?

Eager to investigate, Shuichi hurried into the shower. He got ready as quickly as possible and headed out of the dormitories, where he bumped into Korekiyo.

“Good morning, Shuichi,” Korekiyo greeted him, dorm key in hand.

“Hi, Korekiyo,” Shuichi replied. “Did you watch the morning alarm just now?”

“I did indeed,” Korekiyo nodded. “Rather peculiar, wasn’t it? Something was most definitely concerning Monophanie.”

“I wonder what...” Shuichi pondered.

The two boys discussed some possible theories on their way to the dining hall. Perhaps Monokid had killed the remaining Kubs, or maybe Monokuma had punished his children for something they’d done.

At the dining hall, there was still no sign of Rantaro, and Maki was missing too. Tenko, Tsumugi, and Himiko weren’t there either, but Shuichi suspected that they were cooking. Monophanie’s strange behaviour was the talk of the table. However, the conversation didn’t last very long, since the students soon became distracted by the sound of shouting, which was coming from the kitchen.

“Are Tsumugi, Tenko, and Himiko making breakfast in there?” Shuichi asked, since he hadn’t seen the girls that morning.

Kaito nodded. “Yeah. I have no clue what they’re fighting about, though.”

Shuichi decided to investigate. He abandoned his place at the table and moved into the kitchen’s doorway, to see what was wrong.

“Why would you do that, Tsumugi?!” Tenko complained, as she dumped a frying pan in the sink in an irritated fashion.

“It wasn’t her fault,” Himiko spoke up. “It was an accident.”

“Is something the matter?” Shuichi asked.

“I was making eggs and Tsumugi covered them in orange juice, so now they’re wasted,” Tenko huffed.

“It’s plain to see that it was an accident,” Tsumugi insisted. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“This isn’t a very big space, and there’s three of you in here, so I could see how an accident might occur,” Shuichi said, diplomatically.

“Shuichi’s right, there’s too many of us in here,” Tenko nodded. “Tsumugi, you can go back to the dining hall.”

"If Tsumugi leaves, then I will too," Himiko said. "This is boring."

“Y-you can’t go too, Himiko,” Tenko objected. “I can’t cook for fourteen people by myself!”

Himiko shrugged. “I’m not hungry, anyway. I might practise my magic instead.”

“Don’t go, Himiko,” Shuichi intervened, aware of how upset Tenko was. “Breakfast is the only time we spend together as a class anymore. We don’t want to end that tradition too.”

“I suppose I could wait…” Himiko said, albeit reluctantly. “But I don’t want to cook.”

“Why don’t you get some pastries from the warehouse, like you did yesterday?” Shuichi suggested. He’d been dying to try one for himself.

“That’s a good idea, Shuichi,” Tsumugi nodded. “Seat yourself at the table and Himiko and I will go and get them.”

Tenko was still scowling, so Shuichi knew that he hadn’t completely resolved the conflict, but at least he’d been able to stop Himiko from ditching breakfast. He returned back to his seat, with Tenko in tow.

Much to Shuichi’s delight, in the time that he'd been gone, Rantaro had made an appearance. He just so happened to be in the seat next to Shuichi’s, making it easy for them to talk.

“Rantaro, it’s good to see you,” Shuichi smiled. It made him realise just how badly he’d missed his friend. “Is everything okay? I couldn’t find you yesterday.”

“Oh...yeah,” Rantaro said, as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “I...I had a pretty bad migraine last night, so I went to bed early.”

There was something about Rantaro’s statement that Shuichi didn’t trust. He didn’t want to suspect his friend of lying, but his behaviour seemed off. He decided not to push it any further, but was certainly going to keep an eye on what Rantaro said.

Himiko and Tsumugi soon returned with the pastries, and shared them out evenly across the table. As everyone tucked in, the conversation about Monophanie’s strange behaviour resurfaced.

"Something was definitely wrong with Monophanie," Kaede said. "I've never seen her act that way before."

"She seemed distracted about something." Tenko agreed. 

“Shuichi and I were speculating,” Korekiyo began. “We were considering the possibility that Monokid has murdered Monotaro and Monosuke, but spared Monophanie. After all, he is responsible for Monodam’s death.”

“Oh man, you think so?!” Kaito exclaimed. “That would be pretty brutal.”

“Our other theory is that Monokuma has punished the other three Kubs,” Shuichi said. “Although, I’m not exactly sure why he’d do that.”

“Why don’t we try and call for Kubs?” Kokichi suggested. “If they don’t show up, then we know Monokuma has probably done something. If Monokid shows up, then he’s to blame."

“That’s a pretty good plan,” Rantaro nodded. He cupped his hands around his mouth and began to shout for the Monokubs. “Kubs! Hey Kubs! Can you come here a minute?”

After thirty seconds or so passed by, the door to the dining hall creaked open, and in walked the four Monokubs. Their heads were hung low and they appeared defeated.

“So, Monokid didn’t go on a murdering spree after all,” Kokichi concluded.

“Why’d you all look so damn depressed?!” Miu asked, untactfully.

“W-we’re perfectly fine.” Monophanie insisted. 

“Then why are you shaking?” Ryoma asked.

“I-I’m just cold…” Monophanie said.

“Something’s wrong,” Kaede frowned. “Has Monokuma told you off for something you’ve done?”

“It’s none of your business where father is!” Monotaro snapped, in a very defensive fashion.

“I didn’t ask where Monokuma is,” Kaede replied calmly. “I asked if he’d told you off.”

“Could this be why you’re all so upset?” Kokichi smirked. “Is Monokuma missing?”

“N-no, of course he fuckin’ ain’t.” Monokid barked.

"Then why did you say it's none of our business where he is?" Kokichi challenged him.

"I...I muddled up my words," Monotaro fibbed. 

“So, if we were to call for him right now, he’d appear?” Kokichi cocked his head.

“Uh…” Monophanie hesitated. “No. I mean yes! I mean no! I mean-”

“I say we put it to the test,” Rantaro said. He called out once again. “Monokuma! Monokuma, we need you for a sec!”

Thirty seconds came and went, but there was no sign of Monokuma. The students waited patiently for a further two minutes, but the bear didn’t make an appearance.

“Pops won’t come, he’s busy,” Monosuke informed them.

“Busy doing what?” Rantaro asked.

“Taking a bath!” Monophanie said.

At the very same time, Monotaro blurted out. “Eating salmon.”

“Well, one of you is clearly lying,” Rantaro concluded.

“They’re both lying, it's painfully obvious,” Kokichi said. “None of them know where he is."

"That's slander!" Monosuke exclaimed. "Pops will have youse punished for that."

"You'll have to find him first," Kokichi grinned, winding them up further.

"We have nothing more to say to you!" Monotaro huffed. "C'mon, let's go." 

"If anyone else summons us again, we're coming in the Exisal suits!" Monokid threatened them.

He practically bolted out of the dining hall, with his siblings following behind.

“Monokuma must be missing,” Gonta said. “Kubs make it obvious.”

“I think they realised their behaviour has given the secret away, which is why they left in such a hurry,” Shuichi said. “They wanted to get away from us, before we asked where Monokuma is.”

"So...where is Monokuma?" Himiko asked.

“I think they don’t know themselves,” Tenko said. “Which must be why they seem so stressed.”

Kaito scratched his head. “How does Monokuma just go missing?”

“Yeah, I wonder…” Rantaro said, as he glanced off into the distance. 

“If Monokuma’s gone, then...does this mean the killing game is over?” Tsumugi gasped, as she came to the important realisation. “Are we free to go?”

“I’m not sure,” Korekiyo said, appearing deep in thought. “The Monokubs are still here.”

“They’d be a lot easier to manipulate,” Kaito reasoned.

“But surely Monokuma isn’t the only person watching us,” Ryoma said. “If we’re dangerous criminals, there must be other people behind the scenes: prison guards, security, police officers.”

“Maybe…” Rantaro said. “But at this point, I’m not sure what to believe anymore.”

“This could just be some sickos experiment,” Kaito theorised.

“But we already know that we’re criminals,” Kaede said. “We saw the flashback light and Angie and Kirumi’s case files.”

“I’m not doubting that we’re criminals,” Kaito said. “But what if some kinda nutjob broke us out of prison and brought us here to a killing game? If we broke free, we’d have to go back to prison, sure, but we wouldn’t have to kill each other anymore.”

“I mean, that’s certainly a possibility,” Korekiyo said.

“I think we need to wait a bit longer to see if Monokuma turns up,” Shuichi said, logically. "We can’t risk him punishing us. We’d have to be certain that he’s gone if we tried to escape.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s gone for good,” Rantaro said, confidently.

Shuichi studied his friend. How could Rantaro be so sure?

“Why don’t we give it until lunchtime?” Kaede suggested. “We can all meet here again at 12:30. If there’s still no sign of Monokuma by then, we can start planning our escape.”

“Sounds good to me.” Kaito nodded.

“I’d give anything to never have see that stupid bear again!” Tenko exclaimed.

 

***

 

With the entire morning ahead of him, Shuichi decided to spend some time in the library. The purpose of this trip, was to explore the history section, just in case he could find any clues hinting towards Monokuma or the past of the Ultimate Academy. The history section was fairly small, with books from all different eras covering only a few shelves. Shuichi studied the spine of each one, hoping to find something useful, but none of the books seemed related.

Having completely exhausted this section of the library, Shuichi came to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to find anything useful. Since he still had approximately four hours left, he helped himself to a murder mystery novel and curled up on the floor to read it. He’d rather grown use to the musty smell of the library, and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Shuichi was about forty-five pages into the story, when the door to the library opened and in walked Korekiyo.

“Ah, Shuichi,” he said, as he hesitated in the doorway. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, I apologise.”

“It’s fine,” Shuichi insisted. “This book isn’t that good anyway,” he added with a smile. 

“Then, do you mind if I join you?” Korekiyo asked.

“Of course I don’t mind,” Shuichi said. “Are you here to do some reading too?” it seemed a bit of silly question, now that he thought about it.

“Truthfully, I’m just trying to find a way to distract myself,” Korekiyo admitted. “Today, we could possibly make our escape from this prison. If not, then we’re forced to deal with the motive. It’s not something that I want to think about.”  
  
“When you put it like that, it does seem pretty intense,” Shuichi agreed. “I don’t want to get my hopes up about getting out of here, but as things currently stand, it certainly seems possible.”

“I suppose I just keep wondering about what happens if we don’t escape,” Korekiyo shared his feelings. “Tomorrow is the motive deadline.”

“It’s come around so quickly,” Shuichi said.

“If we’re still here tomorrow, do you think there will be a murder?” Korekiyo asked.

“Uh, well…” Shuichi wasn’t quite sure how to answer this question, as it wasn’t something he’d really thought about. “It’s difficult to say; I can’t predict what anyone is thinking. I mean, my secret isn’t something I’d kill over. But that’s just me.”

“No matter what the outcome is tomorrow, everything is going to change,” Korekiyo stated.

“You think so?” Shuichi replied.

Korekiyo nodded. “Either someone else dies, thus disrupting the group once again. Or, our secrets are revealed and everyone begins to turn on one another.”

“I’d like to think that even if our secrets do get revealed, we can work past this together as a team,” Shuichi said optimistically.

“I very much doubt it,” Korekiyo said bluntly. “This is a competitive environment, the kind of environment where people turn on each other for any reason they can. At the end of the day, Shuichi, no one here is truly friends. It may feel like we are, but in reality, we have only known each other for just over a week. There’s no loyalty here.”

“What are you implying?” Shuichi asked. “You think everyone would just turn on each other?”

“I do,” Korekiyo nodded. “If someone within the group was exposed as a murderer, you would perhaps feel less guilty for killing them in order to win your freedom. You would convince yourself that what you’d done is okay, despite being a criminal yourself.”

Shuichi sighed. “I suppose that’s what makes this motive so complex.”

“Or, it would encourage a paranoid mentality,” Korekiyo went on. “Those with the darkest secrets would be considered threats. Others may kill them, as they fear being killed themselves.”

Shuichi now understood why Korekiyo was so desperate for a distraction; this was horrible to think about. He didn’t want to watch his friends turn on each other, for everything to change.

“Ah, Shuichi, I must apologise once again,” Korekiyo said. “I seem to have burdened you with my thoughts. It's obvious from the look on your face.”

“Don’t apologise,” Shuichi insisted. “I’d rather you talk to me than keep this all bottled up.”

“That’s very kind of you to say,” Korekiyo smiled sincerely.

“I guess we really have to hope that Monokuma doesn’t make an appearance,” Shuichi said. “That’s the only way we can overcome this horrible scenario; to escape.”

“It is indeed.” Korekiyo nodded.

The boys both needed a rest after their very heavy conversation, so Korekiyo helped himself to a book and joined Shuichi on the floor. They read in complete silence, but it was comforting to have each other’s presence.

Another hour or so passed by, before the library door opened once again. This time, it was a far more frantic motion. Kaede burst into the room, panting as she did so.

"Shuichi, Korekiyo there you are!" Kaede exclaimed. "I've been looking all over for you!"

Shuichi looked up in a panic, concerned by the sense of urgency in Kaede's voice. "Kaede, has something happened?"

"Yes!" Kaede nodded. "It's Monokuma. We've found him and...and he's dead."

"He's dead?!" Shuichi repeated, jumping up from the floor as he did so. "A-are you certain?"

"Gonta found him in the boiler room, he's exploded into hundreds of little pieces," Kaede explained. "You have to come and look."

“H-he’s really gone...” Korekiyo gasped, his eyes lighting up with hope.

With no reason to hang about, Shuichi abandoned his book and followed Kaede to the boiler room. All of the students were gathered there, including Maki, which showed how important this was. That being said, Shuichi saw no signs of the hundreds of little pieces of Monokuma that Kaede had mentioned.

"I...I thought Monokuma was supposed to be here." Shuichi said, as he glanced around the room in confusion.

"He is," Ryoma replied, before pointing to the manhole. "Down there."

Shuichi approached the manhole, which didn't have its cover on, and peered down into the abyss. It was pretty dark, but he was just about able to make out some pieces of metal on the floor. “That’s really him…” he whispered.

“How did you even discover this, Gonta?” Korekiyo asked.

“Gonta wanted to be helpful,” Gonta explained. “So Gonta look everywhere he could think of for Monokuma.”

“Have you been down the hole?” Shuichi asked.

Gonta shook his head. “Gonta only look from here, then went to find help.”

“You did good Gonta.” Kaito nodded approvingly.

"I think we should go down there and take a closer look," Shuichi suggested. “Just to be completely certain.”

“Once we know it’s him, we can start planning how we’re gonna get the fuck out of here!” Miu exclaimed, excitedly.

The students took to the ladder rungs one by one, climbing down into the darkness. Once everyone had made it to the bottom, they began examining the pieces of metal.

“There are bits of him everywhere!” Kaito exclaimed. “It’s like he exploded or somethin’.”

Miu was on the floor, a piece of Monokuma in her hands. “Woah…” she gasped.

“What is it, Miu?” Keebo asked.

“Whoever made him…they did a really good job,” Miu said. “Not as good as my work, obviously, but close. This is some complex technology.”

"How could something like this even happen?" Himiko asked.

"I suspect Monokuma was pushed," Shuichi theorised. "I think someone must've pushed him down the manhole. It seems like Monokuma has explosive technology built into him, so when he hit the ground, he exploded; destroying him completely."

"You...you think one of us did this?" Kaede gasped. "Would someone want to take such a big risk? If Monokuma had caught the person, he'd probably have killed them."

"But that's the thing, they didn't get caught," Kaito said. "And now, Monokuma's gone."

"Could it possibly have been one of his Kubs?" Tsumugi asked.

"That's true," Keebo considered. "Monokid is responsible for killing Monodam, after all."

"I don't see why Monokid would feel the need to kill his own father," Shuichi said, as he took the theory into consideration. "Destroying Monokuma serves no purpose to the Kubs, but it does to us."

“Besides,” Tenko said. “The Kubs seemed pretty upset at breakfast. If Monokid had done this, I think he’d have been cocky. Well, cockier than usual.”

“So...what happens now?” Himiko asked, looking to her classmates for answers.

“We leave?” Gonta suggested, hopefully.

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Maki stared at Gonta. "A door hasn't magically appeared now that Monokuma is gone."

“Maybe not,” Kaito shrugged. “But at least now we have a chance to look for the exit undisturbed.”

“What about the Monokubs?” Tsumugi pointed out. “They might put on their Exisal suits to stop us from leaving.”

“Then we need to keep them distracted,” Kaito said, putting a plan in place. “A few of us can create a diversion, whilst the others look for an exit.”

“Okay, so I think-” Rantaro began.

“W-wait a minute!” Kaede interrupted him, as her voice dropped to a whisper. “C-can you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Miu repeated, at full volume.

“Shhh!” Kaede motioned her to be quiet, putting her index finger to her lips. “It sounds like...groaning.”

The room fell silent and Shuichi listened intently for the supposed groaning noise Kaede had heard.

_“Ughhhh. Aghhhh. Oooooof.”_

“I hear it too,” Shuichi gasped. “W-what could it be?”

“Could Monokuma still be alive?” Keebo theorised.

“Impossible,” Kaito shook his head. “He’s been blown to pieces.”

The groaning continued. _“Ughhhhh! Owwww!”_

“It sounds like it’s coming from the entrance to the Death Road to Despair tunnel,” Tenko said. “Kaito, go and check it out.”

“W-why me?!” Kaito yelped.  
  
“Shhh!” Tenko hissed. “Just go and stop whining about it.”

“H-how am I supposed to see? It’s pitch black over there.” Kaito complained.

“Take Keebo with you,” Miu said, pushing Keebo forward. “He’s got a flashlight function.”

“Looks like I’m coming too then!” Keebo said.

Keebo activated his flashlight function and led Kaito to the corner of the room. Kaito was terrified, and clung onto Keebo as if he were a human shield.

“Can you see anything?” Kokichi called.

"Oh yeah!" Kaito replied.

"Well?" Kokichi demanded impatiently. 

"Don't worry guys, it's just Monokuma," Kaito said casually, before the reality of the situation kicked in. "W-wait a minute! M-Monokuma?!"

From out of the shadows emerged Monokuma. A Monokuma who looked perfectly well and put together.

"You're supposed to be dead!" Tenko cried.

"Well I'm not," Monokuma huffed. “I hope you didn’t get too comfortable, cuz I’m not going anywhere."

“H-how is this even possible?” Tsumugi said weakly. “You’re in pieces on the floor.”

“Luckily, I have spares,” Monokuma replied. “This is the exact reason why I have them!”

"If you have spares then why were you groaning in pain?" Himiko asked, making a very good point.

"I was groaning for attention," Monokuma revealed honestly. 

"I should have known that this was too good to be true," Korekiyo sighed.

"Excuse me, I deserve some sympathy!" Monokuma exclaimed. "I'll have you know, that I was attacked."

“Attacked?” Tsumugi gasped. “By who?”

“I don’t know…” Monokuma mumbled.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Maki frowned. “You have cameras everywhere.”

“Whoever attacked me did so in a very precise location, meaning they were just out of reach of the security cameras,” Monokuma revealed. “And they hit me from behind, so I really don’t know who did it.”

“That’s-” Kaede began.

“Impressive,” Kokichi smirked, as he finished the sentence for her. "Someone must've done a lot of planning." 

“I was tempted to have all of you punished, but that would ruin the fun of my killing game,” Monokuma said. “However, I will be working very hard and watching you intently. So whoever did this, know that you're a dead man walking!"

"Of course it was one of the degenerates!" Tenko exclaimed. "How typical."

"Uh, Tenko, it's just an expression," Kaede corrected her. "A dead man walking could be any gender."

"Hmph, well he should've been more specific." Tenko folded her arms. "Either way, I'm confident that a degenerate was behind this."

"It could be you," Korekiyo said, accusingly. "Afterall, you're very strong. You could have easily pushed Monokuma down that hole with your moves."

"L-let's not start pointing fingers," Shuichi said nervously. It didn't matter who pushed Monokuma, and even if it did, this wasn't a conversation they should have in front of the bear himself.

"If anyone has any information on who attacked me, I would be _beary_ grateful if you would tell me," Monokuma said. "I'll even make it worth your while."

"Nobody knows anything, so don't waste your time trying to bribe us." Maki said, sternly.

Monokuma shrugged and turned his back on the students. "Well, if anyone needs me, I'll be in my office."

"You don't have an office..." Tsumugi pointed out. However, Monokuma had already left.

"Well," Kaede sighed. "I guess everything's going back to normal."

"It felt like we were so close to getting out of here!" Kaito complained. "I could almost taste the freedom."

“This is very disappointing indeed,” Korekiyo said, clearly disheartened. “Now we’re confronted by the motive once again.”

“I can’t believe it,” Rantaro muttered, as he kicked the ground out of frustration.

Shuichi turned to his friend and noticed the look of pure devastation on Rantaro’s face. Everyone was upset by Monokuma’s return, but Rantaro looked genuinely horrified. It was as if he truly thought Monokuma had gone for good. Could it be? Did he do this? Like Kokichi had said, whoever was responsible, must have spent a lot of time planning their attack, and Shuichi had barely seen Rantaro over the past couple of days. Could this be the reason why? Rantaro was a good person, the kind of person who would take a risk like this; potentially sacrificing their own life to rescue others. Shuichi wanted to ask Rantaro for the truth, but knew that he couldn’t. Monokuma would be monitoring their every word, in search of the culprit. If Rantaro was behind this, and admitted it to Shuichi, Monokuma would have him killed. Finding out the truth was not worth the cost of Rantaro’s life.

A very sombre attitude ruled over the academy for the rest of the day. Shuichi felt as if there was a rain cloud above his head. It wasn’t even noon yet, and the day had already taken such a sour turn. Monokuma’s disappearance had left the students feeling like freedom was within their reach. When really, it wasn't even close. Shuichi couldn’t understand how he was mourning something he’d never even had, but it hurt.

He returned to the library and finished his murder mystery novel. Korekiyo didn’t join him this time, but he was glad to be alone. Shuichi read right through lunch and dinner, only putting the book down once, for a toilet break. The novel took a while to get into, but the story improved the more that he read on, and Shuichi actually found himself rather gripped towards the end. It wasn’t an award-winning piece, but it was enjoyable. Once he'd read the final chapter, Shuichi put the book back on its shelf and headed to the dormitories to get ready for bed. 

As Shuichi changed into his pyjamas, it came to his attention that tomorrow was Monokuma’s deadline. At 3.pm, if a murder hadn’t occurred, their secrets would be revealed. His mind began to whir, wondering how different things would be in just twenty-four hours time. Would their secrets have been shared, resulting in a tense atmosphere? Would someone else have been murdered? Would he have endured another class trial? Would he even be alive?

Desperate to escape from his negative thoughts, Shuichi turned out the lights and climbed into bed; afraid for what tomorrow had in store.

 


	10. Confession Club (2.4)

Shuichi Saihara was consumed with anxiety from the minute he woke up. Today was the day. In seven hours time, Monokuma was going to expose their deepest, darkest secrets, unless a murder occurred. Shuichi didn’t care if his own secret was exposed; that wasn’t why he was so nervous. He was worried that someone else was going to kill. The deadline was looming and the pressure was rising. What if one of his friends was planning their crime at this very second?

Shuichi headed to the shower, hoping the warm water would help to calm his nerves. It didn’t. His mind was preoccupied with worry. The distraction resulted in him accidentally getting shampoo in his eyes, which stung badly. Today was only getting worse. 

As he dried himself off with a towel, Shuichi moved into the bedroom to grab some clean clothes. Before he'd even reached the wardrobe, something else caught Shuichi's eye: a folded piece of paper had been slid underneath his dormitory door. Still undressed, Shuichi knelt down and collected it. He unfolded the letter and read what had been written, in fairly neat handwriting. 

**Confession Club. Gym. 9 a.m.**

****\- Rantaro** **  

“Confession club?” Shuichi muttered, as he reread the note. 

Whatever Rantaro was planning, he hadn’t mentioned it to Shuichi. This struck Shuichi as strange, since they were so close, but Rantaro had been rather distant the past couple of days. 

Filled with curiosity, Shuichi finished getting ready as quickly as he could. With his dorm key in hand, he left his room and headed right next door to Rantaro's. He knocked a few times, but there was no reply. Perhaps Rantaro had already gone to breakfast. 

When Shuichi arrived at the dining hall, he instantly noticed the lack of Rantaro's presence. This only puzzled him further. The rest of the students (with the exception of Maki) were gathered around the dining table, pieces of paper spread out in front of them.

"Mornin' Shuichi!" Kaito greeted him.

Shuichi sat down at the table and presented his own note from Rantaro. "Do you guys have what I think you have?" 

"A note about Confession Club?" Keebo replied.

"Yes!" Shuichi nodded. He peered over at some of the other notes on the table. The messages were identical to his, as was the handwriting. That being said, each note looked slightly different, indicating that Rantaro had handwritten each one.  

“At least it’s not just me,” Kaede said. “I felt really paranoid when I saw this; I thought it might be part of someone’s trap.”

"Same here," Kaito said. "A note under the door seems pretty shady to me." 

“It’s definitely not the best timing, considering how much pressure there is right now,” Shuichi agreed. “But I don’t think we have anything to worry about. We've all gotten letters, so I can’t see this being part of a murder plan.”

"What even is Confession Club?" Tenko wondered. "I've never heard of it before." 

"Same here," Ryoma said. 

"I knocked on Rantaro's door to ask him, but he didn't answer," Shuichi shared. "I was hoping he'd be here, actually." 

"Himiko and I have been here since eight, and there's been no sign of Rantaro," Tsumugi informed him.

"That's strange," Shuichi muttered. "Where is he?" 

“Maybe Rantaro’s setting something up for Confession Club,” Kaede theorised. 

“Maybe…” Shuichi pondered. “But isn't it a bit strange for him to miss all of breakfast?”

“We don’t know where Maki is either,” Tenko said.

“Maki hasn’t come to breakfast in a while,” Himiko pointed out.

“That is true,” Korekiyo nodded. “I don’t think her actions should be seen as suspicious.”  

"I just hope Rantaro's okay," Shuichi said. 

"I'm sure it's nothing," Kaito reassured him. "Rantaro's prolly just sorting out something for this meeting." 

"I hope so..." Shuichi replied.

The students took a break from discussing Rantaro, and focused on eating. Shuichi chowed down on a bowl of plain porridge that had been lovingly made for him by the kitchen girls. It was exceptionally dry, and he needed several glasses of apple juice to help wash it down. Once everyone had finished their food, it was time to visit the gymnasium.

“Well, it’s almost nine,” Kaito said. “We should go and see what this Confession Club is all about.”

“What if it’s dangerous?” Miu frowned.

“I’m sure it’s okay,” Kaede offered some reassurance. “We’re all going together, so no one will be able to hurt us.”

"If Rantaro's up to some shady shit, I'm using you as a human shield," Miu retorted. 

The students abandoned their dirty plates and bowls and headed to the gymnasium to meet Rantaro; the washing up would have to wait. The gymnasium doors were closed, but not locked, so Shuichi took it upon himself to let everyone inside. He creaked open the door, desperate to know what was going on.

Much to Shuichi’s relief, there was no blood, or even a body. There was just Rantaro, smiling at everyone from the chair he was sitting on. There were fourteen chairs in total, arranged in a circle, like an intervention.

“Thanks for coming, guys,” Rantaro greeted everyone. “Come and take a seat.”

“What’s going on here exactly?” Keebo asked.

“Yeah, I’m not sitting down until you tell me,” Tenko insisted. “I wouldn’t be surprised if a degenerate male, like yourself, has organised a trap.”

“It’s not a trap, I promise,” Rantaro reassured her. “If you just sit down, then I’ll explain.”

The students did as Rantaro asked and sat down. Some looked more comfortable about it than others. Shuichi wasn’t nervous, as he trusted Rantaro, but he was curious to see where things were going.

“As you guys know, at 3 p.m. today, Monokuma is going to expose our secrets,” Rantaro began. “I know this has been causing a lot of paranoia in the group. So, I’ve organised Confession Club to put a stop to anything bad happening today.”

Maki opened her mouth to speak, but Rantaro quickly followed on before she could object to his plan.

“I know we already talked about this, and everyone was against the idea, but I think this is important,” Rantaro insisted. “The deadline is six hours away and the tension has only grown.”

“So, what are you proposing?” Korekiyo asked.

“That we all share our secrets,” Rantaro said. “It’s our last chance to beat Monokuma at his own motive.”

“We already discussed this; anyone is able to lie,” Maki reminded him.

“I know, that’s true…” Rantaro weighed up the possibilities. “But, the idea behind Confession Club is that we can all talk about our secrets and explain the reasoning behind them. Maybe it’s something terrible you’ve done in your past, but, so what? We’re all criminals anyway. I just think it’s better that we take the time to expose our own secrets, rather than have Monokuma do it for us.”

"This is bullshit!" Miu shook her head. 

"So what would you prefer?" Rantaro turned to her. "Monokuma exposes your secret and you don't get the chance to explain yourself? Murder?"

"Stop tryin' to manipulate us!" Miu exclaimed. "I'm not telling you shit."

"It is a bit unfair that you're putting pressure on people like this," Tsumugi joined in.

"Well, I for one, think it's a brilliant idea," Kaito gave a thumbs up.

"Of course  _you_ do," Maki muttered.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Kaito objected.

"No one's ever going to agree to this, are they..." Rantaro sighed. 

A few members of the group had softened to Rantaro’s idea, but many were still sour. No matter what Rantaro said, it seemed that some people just weren’t going to back down.

"Okay look, if some people really don't wanna share their secrets, I have a second plan," Rantaro offered. "We're gonna sit here and ride things out until 3 p.m." 

"Why would we do that?" Himiko asked.

"To stop anyone from committing murder to protect their secret," Rantaro explained. "If we're sat in this circle and nobody leaves, there's no way a killing can happen." 

"But that means Monokuma will expose our secrets..." Tsumugi pointed out.

"And if he doesn't, then we'll have another murder on our hands and a class trial," Rantaro debated. "Is that what you want?" 

"I'd be okay with sitting here," Kaito said. "I mean, it's not gonna be fun, but at least we can guarantee that no one will die." 

"Me too!" Kaede exclaimed. "We can stick this out together." 

"You can't force me to stay here," Miu argued. "I ain't no fuckin' prisoner." 

"You're going to leave, Miu?" Rantaro asked.

"Yup and don't even try to stop me," Miu said defiantly. "I ain't sittin' here for six hours. That's boring as shit."

"So you'd rather let another murder happen?" Kaito frowned.

"Don't put words in my mouth, asshole," Miu rolled her eyes. "We have no idea whether another murder will happen or not, but either way, I'm not sticking around for six hours with you idiots." 

"If she's not staying, then neither am I," Korekiyo said. "It defeats the entire purpose of the plan anyway." 

"Unfortunately, Korekiyo is right," Keebo said. "Unless everyone stays, it's pointless."

"In that case, Keebo you're comin' with me to my lab," Miu instructed. "I have some new blueprints I wanna test out."

Keebo willingly agreed and left with Miu.

"I'm going back to my lab," Maki said. "It was a waste of time even coming here." 

"I need to get some more footage for my documentary," Kokichi excused himself. "So yeah, seeya!"

"Since everyone is leaving, there really isn't much point in me staying either," Tsumugi said. "Himiko, did you want to go and practise some more of your magic?" 

"Sure," Himiko nodded. "We can rehearse for the show." 

"Himiko!" Tenko exclaimed. "You can't leave! It's too dangerous." 

"I'll be fine; I have Tsumugi," Himiko said, dismissing Tenko. 

"Fine," Tenko snapped. "Just go."

Nearly half the group left, leaving a lot of empty chairs. Shuichi could see the disappointment on Rantaro’s face, since his plan had failed. Shuichi wasn’t sure if there was much point continuing on without everyone there, but he didn’t want to leave also.

"So..." Kaito said, attempting to address the awkward tension. "What happens now?" 

"I still want to share my secret," Rantaro said, filled with determination. "Monokuma could expose everything in six hours time, and I want you to hear this from me." 

"I agree!" Tenko nodded passionately. "Just because some of the others are being selfish, it doesn't mean we have to be too."

"I think sharing our secrets in a safe environment, like this, is a good idea," Kaede said. "We can explain ourselves properly."

"Well, so long as you guys all consent, shall we still go ahead with Confession Club?" Rantaro asked.

There were a series of nods; everyone who remained in the circle agreed. 

"Great!" Rantaro smiled. "Since this was my idea, it’s only fair that I go first.” 

“Are you sure that you want to do this?” Kaede asked.

“Positive,” Rantaro said confidently. “I know it seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity now that so many people have gone, but if we can trust each other, then that’s something we can hold onto.”

“That’s a nice way to put it, Rantaro,” Kaito smiled back at him.

Rantaro took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself, "So...my secret, it’s about my little sister. Her disappearance...it's all my fault.”

Shuichi wasn’t exactly surprised to hear this. He hadn’t been trying to speculate, but out of Rantaro’s three possible secrets, the one about his sister had always been the most plausible. If Rantaro didn't have a talent, then he would not be a part of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, and he clearly wasn’t the mole.

“I’ve got many younger sisters, although most of them are my stepsisters,” Rantaro shared. “I’ve only got one sister by blood. She’s younger; two school years below me. I love all of my sisters, but I’ve known Saki the longest, so I suppose you could say that we’re the closest.”

“Saki...is that her name?” Kaede asked gently.

“It is,” Rantaro said. “Sorry, I probably should’ve mentioned that.”

“And...you say she went missing?” Kaito asked. “How long ago?”

“Recently, I believe,” Rantaro replied. “It’s one of the last things I remember before coming to this place. As I said, Saki and I went to high school together. She went missing at our school’s winter festival, which they hold every year.”

“My school has those too!” Kaede exclaimed.

“They’re great, right?” Rantaro gave a wry smile. “Bonfires, yukatas, hot chocolates."

"It's one of my favourite times of the year," Kaede nodded.

"Well, at the last festival, I went with my friends and Saki went with hers," Rantaro continued. "I promised her that we'd meet up again at nine p.m. sharp, so we could walk home together. It was a boarding school, but the festival was actually being held at a nearby park, which was about twenty-five minutes away. It’s a walk you don’t really want to make alone on a dark night. Except...my friends and I got carried away. We were having so much fun, I lost track of time. It was almost ten o’clock by the time I arrived at the meeting spot. Saki wasn't there.”

"Rantaro..." Kaede whispered. "I'm so sorry." 

Rantaro sighed. "I looked around the entire festival for her. Her friends were there, but she wasn't. They parted ways when Saki went to our meeting spot, so they hadn’t seen her. I presumed she must've made the walk back to school alone. I practically sprinted there, but she was nowhere to be seen."

"I-" Shuichi opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't know what to say. "That must've been awful." he sympathised. 

"We called the police, b-but they couldn't find her either," Rantaro continued, as his voice began to crack. He took another deep breath to keep himself composed. “It’s like Saki just disappeared off of the face of the earth. And it’s all my fault…”

“You can’t blame yourself, man,” Kaito said. "You weren't to know something bad was gonna happen."

"But I should've been there to meet her," Rantaro shook his head in frustration. "If I'd been on time, this never would have happened." 

"Do the police have any theories about what might have happened?" Tenko asked. "Maybe there was a nearby CCTV camera that picked something up."

"They think someone took her, but they have no idea who, or why," Rantaro said. "There weren't any cameras close by." 

Shuichi was surprised that Tenko hadn't started blaming the 'terrible degenerates of society' for the disappearance, but she seemed to understand the sensitivity of the situation.

"Listen man, you can't the change past, no matter how much you wanna," Kaito said wisely. "So blaming yourself won't do you any good."

"I know that," Rantaro said sorrowfully. "It's just hard not to. I could've stopped this from happening."

"Don't give up hope, Rantaro," Shuichi said, wanting to support his friend. "If we ever make it out of here, I'll tell my Uncle all about your sister. He's the best detective I know."

"I'd really appreciate that," Rantaro said. "But anyway, now you know my secret. I'm aware it makes me seem like a terrible brother, which I am."

Kaede fiercely shook her head. "No one here blames you. It sounds like you've been doing everything you can to look for your sister; it's obvious you care." 

Rantaro managed a small smile. "Thanks, Kaede." 

"I'm glad you felt like you could share that with us," Kaito said.

"It's not easy to talk about, but I'd rather you hear it from me," Rantaro replied. "Knowing Monokuma, he'd put some vile twist on the story if he told you."

"So...who wants to go now?" Tenko asked. 

Shuichi volunteered to speak next, since he was sat directly on Rantaro’s left. He retold the story of his past, sharing the details of the man seeking justice that he had gotten arrested. His friends listened with compassion and no one judged Shuichi for the secret he'd been trying to bury. 

"That's why I had to run away from Kirumi's crime scene," Shuichi explained. "It all felt like too much. I didn't want to face that again."

"Oh, that makes sense now," Tenko said. "I never understood why you did that."

"Rantaro and Kaede came and found me and made me feel a lot better," Shuichi continued. "It's thanks to them that I was able to go back and investigate." 

“And now, Monokuma won’t be able to hold this against you,” Kaito said. “I’m really glad we’re doing this.”

“Gonta go now?” Gonta asked, since he was sat next to Shuichi, making him the next in line.

“If you feel comfortable to go next, then sure,” Kaede said.

“Okay,” Gonta nodded. “Gonta’s secret...not nice. Gonta not want you to hate him.”

“Don’t worry Gonta,” Rantaro said. “Confession Club is a judgement free zone.”

“Gonta loves bugs, Gonta loves bugs more than anything!” Gonta exclaimed, his eyes filled with passion. “But...one time, Gonta had accident. Gonta make terrible mistake.”

“What happened Gonta?” Kaede asked.

“Gonta had been travelling, in search of rare bugs to protect,” Gonta explained. “Gonta been looking all day for rare spider, which was last of its kind. Gonta hunt high and low in rainforest, but could not find.”

“Was it a big spider?” Shuichi asked, shuddering at the very thought.

Gonta nodded. “But it camouflage, so hard to spot. Gonta been searching for hours and needed rest, so sat on a nearby log to take break. Gonta did not realise that spider was sat on log too. So when Gonta sit down…”

Shuichi didn’t need Gonta to fill in the blanks. “Ah…” 

“Gonta try to revive spider, but it too late,” Gonta hung his head. “So Gonta give him proper burial.”

“That’s really sweet, Gonta,” Kaede said kindly. “Many people wouldn’t have done that.”

"Gonta never tell anyone, in case people think Gonta really hate bugs," Gonta admitted. "But Gonta think about spider every day, to keep his memory alive."

"Monokuma tried to make some of these secrets sound so much worse than they actually are," Kaito complained. 

"Well, you haven't heard mine yet..." Kaede said.

"Do you want to go next?" Rantaro asked.

Kaede nodded. "I have to admit, when I first saw my three secrets, I thought all of them were lies," she shared. "I assure you that I'm not the mole, and the last time I checked, I have a beating heart, so I'm definitely not dead."

"Which leaves the secret about your sister," Shuichi said, reflecting back to Kaede's card.

"Exactly," Kaede replied. "But my sister is like my best friend." 

"So what are you saying?" Kaito asked. "That all three of your statements are lies?"

Kaede shook her head. "I wish that were the case, but no. It just took me a while to understand."

"What happened?" Rantaro asked.

"I was just looking at things from a selfish perspective," Kaede sighed. "My twin sister, Maeko, is my only sibling. Growing up, we were practically inseparable. Well, I suppose there was one thing that kept us apart, my piano. As I might've told you, I've been playing the piano ever since I was tiny; it's my favourite thing to do in the whole world. But my sister, she never shared this passion."

"Does she not have the same ultimate talent as you?" Tenko asked. "I've always wondered if twins share talents." 

"No, my sister isn't an ultimate," Kaede said.

"Not even for a different talent?" a surprised Tenko replied.

"No," Kaede said. "And I think that's something she resented me for."

"Does she play any instruments herself?" Shuichi inquired.

"She never really had any natural music ability," Kaede said. "I tried so many times to teach her the piano, but she lost interest quickly. She was always comparing herself to me, so because she couldn't play a complicated song straight away, she gave up."

"That's just unrealistic," Kaito said. "You can't expect to be brilliant at something straight away." 

"I know, but she wouldn't listen," Kaede went on. "The trouble is, as I got older, and my talent flourished, I got more and more attention and praise from our family and friends. My sister took it pretty hard, because she was often overlooked." 

"That's gotta hurt," Rantaro sympathised.

"I knew it hurt her," Kaede said. "Throughout our entire childhood, she was constantly trying to find her own talent. She took up every single hobby you could possibly imagine: swimming, singing, baking, gardening, horseback riding, and even fishing. But she never found anything she excelled at."

"But that's what makes talented people talented," Kaito said. "It's because they can do something not many people can."

"Maeko never saw it that way," Kaede shared. "As we got older, we started to drift apart. I was spending nearly all of my time practising and entering competitions, instead of being with her. And my family were making sacrifices too, that benefitted me but were a huge loss to my sister. For example, we stopped going on family holidays, so my parents had enough money to buy me a top of the range piano. In fact, I remember one year, there was a really important piano competition that landed on our birthday. It meant that I got to spend the day doing something I loved, but Maeko was forced to come along, with no consideration for what she'd like to do."

"That sounds rough for her," Rantaro said. "Did you realise this was all going on?"

"In the beginning, yes," Kaede nodded. "I could tell she felt second best, so I tried to include her in everything. I remember begging my mum to take me to fewer competitions, because it was bothering Maeko so much, but my mum never listened."

"So is that the betrayal?" Tenko asked.

"No, that's just the back story of it all," Kaede said. "There's one specific occasion, which I think Monokuma is referring to. I...I'm ashamed to even tell you."

"We're not going to judge you," Shuichi said kindly. 

“Well, as you guys know, to become an ultimate, you have to be scouted," Kaede explained. "I was being watched by a handful of very important people, who had the power to give me that title. They'd attended several of my performances and competitions." 

“So, that’s how you got your ultimate status?” Shuichi asked.

Kaede nodded. “One night, I got a last minute email from one of them. It said, that they were visiting a nearby town tomorrow and wanted to see just one more performance from me, as they were seriously thinking about making me an ultimate.”

“That must’ve been so exciting, Kaede!” Tenko cheered.

“It should’ve been, but...well, the next day just so happened to be the same day as my sister’s dance recital.” Kaede shared.

“Your sister was a dancer?” Rantaro commented. “I thought you said she didn’t have a talent.”

“She doesn't,” Kaede said. “But this is what I meant about her constantly trying out different hobbies. At this point in time, she was part of a local dance group, which she quit a few weeks later.”

“I see.” Rantaro nodded.

“The recital was a small production for family and friends to attend. I know Maeko was so excited to have us finally watching her perform, instead of me,” Kaede said. “The trouble is, her show clashed with the time that the judges wanted to see me.”

“Ah,” Shuichi sympathised.

“The location the judges wanted to meet me at, was about an hour away from my house. It was pretty difficult to get to, with no public transport heading that way, so I would have needed my parents to drive me,” Kaede said. “I asked the judges if there was any chance we could meet slightly earlier, but it was the only date and time they could do.”

“So what happened next?” Kaito asked.

“Well...I thought about telling my parents, but I knew it would really upset Maeko and spoil the entire day for everyone,” Kaede said. “So...instead…instead, I did something really, really bad.”

“Which was?” Tenko pressed.

“Well, at breakfast, on the day of the show, I snuck some constipation tablets into Maeko’s drink,” Kaede said. “As you can imagine...she got a pretty upset stomach and could barely leave the bathroom. She had to pull out of her recital because she felt so unwell.”

“Oh, wow,” Kaito raised his brow.

"In my head, I thought I was doing the right thing," Kaede winced, reflecting on her actions. "I knew this opportunity was huge, whereas Maeko's recital was just a local show, that wasn't going to turn into anything. I thought that if Maeko became unwell, she wouldn't feel resentful, as it wouldn't seem like my fault."

"I see," Shuichi said. He sympathised with Kaede. After all, she was only human and everybody makes mistakes. 

“Then, I pretended to have only _just_ received an email from the judges. My parents took me to meet them, which is when I became an ultimate,” Kaede continued. “I couldn’t even enjoy the moment, because I knew my sister was stuck home alone, missing the dance show she’d worked so hard for. I felt terrible!”

“Did you ever tell your sister the truth?” Shuichi asked.

“Never,” Kaede shook her head. “I wish I had the courage to do so, but I've always felt so ashamed. It’s something I’ve always regretted. You guys are the first people I’ve ever told.”

“Then how on earth did Monokuma find out?!” Kaito exclaimed.

“That’s what I’ve been wondering,” Rantaro said. “Maybe he’s somehow able to see our memories? Like when he got rid of our old ones.”

“I hate the idea of Monokuma knowing all of my thoughts.” Kaito shuddered.

"I have no idea how he found out, because I've never told a single soul," Kaede said. "Maeko doesn't know that I betrayed her for my own gain. I'm never usually this selfish."

"You got an email from the judges the night before, so that must've felt like a lot of pressure," Shuichi said, attempting to make Kaede feel better. "You did what felt right at the time." 

"It's almost ironic, because if I hadn't betrayed Maeko, I'd never have become an ultimate," Kaede pointed out. "If I never became an ultimate, then, maybe I wouldn't be here right now." 

"It's crazy how much our actions influence our future," Rantaro said. 

Kaede had been open and honest about her secret, so now, it was Kaito's turn.

"Well, to tell ya the truth, I cheated on my space exams," Kaito admitted. "I'm not proud of it, but it's not worth killing someone over."

"How did you cheat?" Shuichi asked.

"It's not like I snuck a look at the answers or anythin'," Kaito explained. "I just never took the test."

"Then how did you become an Astronaut?" Tenko frowned.

"A mate of mine helped me forge some documents," Kaito revealed. "It made me look like I have the degree, when I don't." 

"Why did you feel the need to cheat?" Tenko folded her arms. "Degenerates never do anything honestly."

"Remember Tenko, there's no judgement at Confession Club," Rantaro warned her. 

"The space exams you need to sit are  _really_ hard!" Kaito exclaimed. "Most of the information is pointless shit anyway. So long as you've got passion and drive, anyone can become an Astronaut."

Shuichi now understood why Kaito had been so insistent about sharing their secrets; he'd gotten off lightly, with a fairly innocent secret. This was to do with the power imbalance Monokuma wanted to create. 

"But yeah, that's about it," Kaito concluded with a shrug. "Now you know my secret. Tenko, you're next." 

"My secret sounds worse than is it," Tenko began, pre-empting the students with a warning. "Which is why I've decided to stay here at Confession Club, because I want to explain myself properly. There have been a couple of incidents in my past, and it seems that Monokuma has manipulated them, to make them sound worse than they actually are." 

"So, which one is your secret?" Kaito asked.

"The one about hurting my competitors to win competitions," Tenko revealed. "Technically, it happened...but not on purpose!" she quickly defended herself. 

"What happened, Tenko?" Gonta looked at her.

"Well, at one of my competitions, I was going to be fighting against a degenerate male," she spoke with disgust. "I'd met him earlier that morning and he seemed pretty hostile and rude. He clearly thought he was better than me. Anyway, before the competition started, I really needed to go to the toilet. As I walked to the bathroom, I could see my degenerate competitor out of the corner of my eye; he was clearly following me. I went into the girls' toilets and he came in after me! I knew he was up to no good, so I used my Neo-Aikido moves on him before he had the chance to hurt me."

"I don't see a problem with that," Rantaro reasoned.

"Yeah, well, you see..." Tenko hesitated. "It turns out he needed the toilet too. And because I was so busy watching him, I'd actually entered the male toilets. So...technically, he did nothing wrong." she grimaced.

"Oh," Shuichi gasped. "I...I see."

"It was an accident, honestly, but no one believed me," Tenko complained. "Everyone thought I hurt him on purpose to give myself a better chance at winning." 

"Yeah, I can see how it could look that way," Kaito said. "But it was a one-time thing, so that's pretty harsh for people to think that."

"Wellll," Tenko paused. "I mean, that was the first time. But there was more..." she seemed sheepish.

"More?!" Kaede exclaimed. "Tenko, what did you do?"

"At another competition, I thought another degenerate was stalking me," Tenko explained. "So, I used my moves on him."

"Were you in the male loos again?" Kaito smirked.

"N-no," Tenko shook her head. "It turns out, he was following me because I'd dropped my hair bow without realising. He was bringing it back to me."

"Oh Tenko," Kaede winced.

"With both of those incidents put together, I got a pretty bad reputation, and they disqualified me from multiple competitions," Tenko ranted. "No one seemed to believe me that it was all just a giant misunderstanding."

"I can see why your secret would seem bad out of context," Shuichi said. "But now that you've explained this to us, things make a lot more sense."

"Y-you believe me?" Tenko looked at Shuichi in surprise.

"Of course I do." Shuichi nodded. "That sounds like something you'd do. I could never imagine you hurting your competitors just to win; that would take away the fun of competing." 

"Confession Club was actually a pretty good idea, Rantaro," Tenko said. "Especially for a degenerate."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Rantaro grinned. "Thank you for sharing, Tenko." 

"And that leaves me..." Ryoma muttered, before uttering a sigh. Until now, he'd been very quiet; listening to the secrets, rather than giving his opinion. "Well, there's not much to say, really. I'm not the mole, and I don't think I'm the worst criminal in here." 

"So..." Shuichi concluded. "That means-" he quickly cut himself short, aware that what he was going to say sounded rather harsh.

"You can say it," Ryoma shrugged. "I'm all alone in the world and no one loves me." 

"Ryoma, that's so-" Kaede attempted to sympathise.

"Don't feel sorry for me; it has its benefits," Ryoma said. "It means I don't care if something were to happen to me; I've got nothing to live for."

"You shouldn't say that!" Kaede gasped, horrified on his behalf.

"What? It's the truth," Ryoma replied. "I've got nobody waiting for me on the other side." 

"Not even any friends? Or a family member?" Kaito asked.

Ryoma shook his head. "Not a single person. I can't even remember the last time someone wished me happy birthday." 

"So...are you an orphan or something?" Tenko asked.

"I wasn't, but I am now," Ryoma replied. "My family were massacred, along with anyone that I cared about."

Shuichi was curious to know more, but he wasn't going to press Ryoma for details, as he could tell it was a sensitive subject.

"But hey, at least if I die in here, it's not really much of a loss," Ryoma went on. "The trick to life is not to get too attached to it." 

"It's cruel for Monokuma to choose this as your secret," Kaede frowned. 

"That bear is such an asshole!" Kaito exclaimed. 

"Well, now that I've told you my secret, I'm off," Ryoma dismissed himself, as he got up from his chair. He gave a half-assed wave, before exiting the gymnasium.

Kaede waited until he was out of earshot, before voicing her concerns. "Poor Ryoma! I never realised he was so alone. That must be awful."

"He's really been keeping it to himself," Kaito said. "I wish he could've confided in us sooner."

"What happened to his family sounds awful," Shuichi agreed. 

"I want to do something to help," Kaede sighed. "It upsets me knowing what Ryoma has been through. Nobody should feel like they're alone in the world."

"Gonta show Ryoma beautiful bugs?" Gonta put forward. "That make Ryoma happy!"

"That's a sweet suggestion, Gonta," Kaede smiled. "But it's not quite what I was thinking. I want to do something that shows Ryoma how much we appreciate him."

"Hmm," Shuichi wracked his brain for ideas. 

"I know we haven't known him for very long," Kaede added. "But, I want him to know that we're here for him."

"Ryoma said he can't even remember the last time someone wished him happy birthday," Rantaro said. "Maybe we could make him a nice card?"

"Rantaro that's great!" Kaede exclaimed. "But we could even do him one better! Why don't we throw him a belated birthday party?" 

Rantaro frowned. "Hmmm, it's a nice idea, but Ryoma doesn't strike me as the partying type." 

"It doesn't have to be an extravagant party," Kaede reasoned. "It could be as simple as a picnic."

"That sounds peaceful," Gonta joined in. "Gonta thinks Ryoma will like."

"Where would we have it?" Tenko asked.

"Outside?" Kaede suggested. "On the grass, near the dorms, would be a nice spot."

"I'm not sure we're going to be able to convince people to come to a picnic with the time limit looming," Shuichi objected. "No one seems in the best of moods." 

"But if everyone comes to the picnic, they won't have to worry about the time limit," Kaede pointed out. "Rantaro, it's like the plan you suggested earlier: we'll keep everyone in one place."

"It's probably easier to keep everyone at a picnic than a stuffy gymnasium hall." Rantaro agreed. 

"Good luck getting Maki to join," Kaito said. 

"If everyone's at the picnic, then no one can sneak off and explore Maki's lab," Kaede said, logically. "We can even promise to let Maki leave first, once the time limit is over."

"I like the way you think, Kaede," Kaito grinned.

"We better get planning!" Kaede exclaimed. "We want to get this picnic started as early as possible. We have less than six hours until the time limit." 

"Let's divide up the tasks," Tenko suggested. "It'll help us get this together much faster."

"What needs doing?" Kaito asked. 

"For starters, we need someone to keep Ryoma distracted," Kaede put forward. "We don't want him walking in on us; it'd spoil the surprise."

"Gonta do that!" Gonta volunteered. "Gonta show Ryoma bug collection to keep him busy."

"That's great, Gonta," Kaede smiled. "We also need someone to pass on a message to the others that we're throwing a surprise picnic for Ryoma." 

"I'll do that," Kaito offered. "Since I did the same thing for the pool party." 

"Thank you," Kaede said. "We also need to sort food for the picnic. And some decorations would be nice too." 

"I'm happy to get the decorations," Tenko said. "I don't wanna do any more cooking after making breakfast." 

"Great!" Kaede exclaimed. "So, Shuichi and Rantaro, shall the three of us sort the food?" 

Shuichi nodded happily, as did Rantaro.

"I think we're sorted then," Kaede clapped her hands together in delight. 

"What time should I tell everyone to meet?" Kaito asked. 

"What time is it now?" Kaede replied.

"It's just gone ten thirty," Rantaro said.

"Okay, well how about half eleven?" Kaede put forward. 

"Sounds good to me," Kaito said. "I'm gonna get going, so I can start passing on this message." 

The students disbanded from the gym, so they could begin the essential preparations for Ryoma’s picnic party. Shuichi travelled to the warehouse with Kaede, Rantaro, and Tenko.

“What sort of food should we make?” Kaede pondered, as she looked around at the endless shelves of ingredients.

“Sandwiches are a must for a picnic,” Tenko said.

“They’re easy to make, too!” Rantaro noted.

“Maybe we could make some more fruit salad skewers?” Shuichi suggested, since he never got the opportunity to try any at the pool party.

“Don’t forget about a birthday cake,” Tenko added.

“Oh, yes, of course!” Kaede exclaimed. “I suppose there aren’t any around here already made?”

Shuichi hunted high and low, but there were no cakes to be found. “I can't see any. If we want a cake, I think we’re going to have to make it from scratch.”

“Oh,” Kaede paused. “Then we might have a problem. I have no idea what ingredients even make up a cake.”

“Ah, that’s easy,” Rantaro smiled. “I guess it depends on what you want. Red velvet? A victoria sponge? Chocolate cake? Ice cream cake? Butter frosted icing?”

“You sure know a lot about cakes, Rantaro,” Kaede giggled.

Rantaro smirked. “Yeah, I grew up with a lot of sisters. Baking was kinda like a weekly activity for us.”

“So you’d be able to make a cake for us?” Kaede asked eagerly.

Rantaro nodded. “Sure. I can focus on that, if you want.”

“That would be brilliant,” Kaede nodded gratefully. “What kind of cake should we have?”

“We don’t have loads of time,” Shuichi said. “Is there anything simple?’

Rantaro took a moment to think. “I’ll make a victoria sponge cake and cover it in frosting. We can put some fruit on the top too, like strawberries.”

“Tenko, that reminds me,” Kaede said. “When you get the decorations, could you please pick up some birthday candles too?”

“I’ll get looking.” Tenko nodded.

Rantaro collected the ingredients he needed for the cake, whilst Shuichi and Kaede focused on the bread and sandwich fillings. Armed with everything they needed, they said goodbye to Tenko and moved across the hall to the dining hall and kitchen.

Shuichi and Kaede set up the sandwich operation between themselves, whilst Rantaro was busy whisking flour and eggs. Shuichi buttered the bread and passed it to Kaede, who added the fillings. There was going to be plenty of choice at the picnic, with all kinds of sandwiches: chicken salad, tuna and sweetcorn, egg mayonnaise, prawn, ham and cheese, and avocado.

With the sandwiches fully prepared, Shuichi moved on to slicing up fruit for the fruit salad skewers. He’d just started cutting up a pineapple, when all of a sudden, water began to trickle down his neck.

“H-huh?!” Shuichi squirmed, caught off guard by the uncomfortable sensation.

“Ahh!” Kaede squealed.

The water didn’t stop. Shuichi reached up and touched his hat, which was getting damper by the second. It was as if a rain cloud had opened up above his head. Wait a minute, this was a sensation that Shuichi knew oh too well…

The detective looked up to the ceiling, and sure enough, the sprinklers had been triggered. The water was soon accompanied by a familiar noise, which he hated with his entire being.

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

“That’s the fire alarm!” Kaede exclaimed. “Do you think this is another one of Monokuma’s drills?”

“I’m not sure,” Shuichi said. “There’s no announcement, unlike last time.”

“Whatever it is, can we discuss this outside?” Rantaro asked. “I’m getting soaked here!”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Shuichi nodded. “It’s best to head outside anyway, just in case this is a real fire.”

Shuichi would rather be safe than sorry. He abandoned his pineapple and headed outside through the dining hall’s door, onto the patio. Thankfully, there was an exit so close.

“Well, this is annoying,” Shuichi complained, as he pushed his wet fringe away from his eyes. As much as he didn’t want to, he took off his hat, since it had absorbed a lot of the water.

“What awful timing,” Kaede sighed. “I hope the food doesn’t get too wet.”

“Oh god, the sandwiches!” Shuichi cried, fully aware they would now be ruined.

“At least the fruit gets a wash.” Rantaro joked, attempting to lighten the situation. "But yeah, my cake is done for."  

The three friends made their way to the dormitories, since this had been the agreed meeting spot for the previous fire drills. Much to their surprise, only one student was waiting outside: Tenko. She was dripping wet, her long hair creating puddles on the floor.

“What’s going on?! You got hit by the sprinklers too?” Tenko asked.

“Can you tell?” Rantaro grinned. 

"I was still in the warehouse, then out of nowhere, I started getting wet," Tenko revealed.

"It's because the fire alarm has been sounded," Shuichi explained. "It sets off the sprinklers too."

"Is there a fire?!" Tenko exclaimed. "Or is this just another one of Monokuma's stupid drills?"

"I don't think it's a drill," Shuichi replied. "Otherwise, Monokuma would have made an announcement."

"Maybe it's a prank," Kaede speculated.

“If it is, this is definitely the work of a degenerate male!” Tenko declared fiercely.

“How can you be certain?” Shuichi replied, although he should’ve kept his mouth shut.

“This is the sort of immature thing a degenerate would do,” Tenko insisted. “It was probably Kokichi.”

As they were talking, another one of their classmates emerged from the main school building: Maki. She was just as wet as the rest of them.

“What’s going on?” Maki frowned. “Is there a fire? And...why is nobody here?”

“We don’t know,” Shuichi answered honestly.

“If there really is a fire and this isn't a prank, then we should probably be a lil’ concerned about where the hell everyone is,” Rantaro said, making a very good point. There were fourteen students in the school, but only five of them were present. 

“Yeah, where is everybody?” Shuichi scratched his head.

“Y-you don’t think they’re trapped, do you?” Tenko wondered, her expression suddenly panicked. “H-Himiko might be in there!"

“Maki, did you see anyone on your way out?” Kaede asked.

“No,” Maki shook her head.

“It’s unusual, but I can’t see any smoke coming from the building,” Shuichi said.

“That’s because there’s no fire!”

A voice, which Shuichi instantly recognised as Monokuma’s, made its way into their conversation. The bear appeared from the main school building, his fur drenched.

“You look wet,” Rantaro remarked. “I’m surprised the water hasn’t gotten into your system and stopped you from functioning.”

“Don’t sound so hopeful,” Monokuma snapped. He shook himself dry, spraying the students as he did so.  
  
“Did...did you say there’s no fire?” Tenko asked.

Monokuma nodded. “Someone triggered the fire alarm! This isn’t funny at all.”

“This is exactly what you kept doing to us,” Shuichi pointed out.

“That’s different.” Monokuma insisted. “Anyway, I’ve had the alarm and sprinklers turned off, so you can go back inside.”

“I’m not sure that I want to; everything will be soaked,” Tenko said.

“The Monokubs are going to have the place dried up,” Monokuma replied.

“How does that work?” Shuichi frowned. “Have you armed them with an endless amount of towels?!”

“Their Exisal suits have a built-in, super drying feature, which I prepared in case a situation like this ever arose,” Monokuma explained.

“That’s very specific,” Tenko raised her brow.

“Give it about an hour, then everything will be back to normal,” Monokuma said.

"I suppose this means all the food we've prepared will be ruined," Kaede sighed.

"Unfortunately, I think we're gonna have to postpone," Rantaro said.

“What are you postponing?” Maki asked.

“Oh, I’m guessing you haven’t spoken to Kaito yet,” Shuichi said. “We’re organising a surprise birthday picnic for Ryoma.”

“It’s his birthday?” Maki replied.

“No,” Shuichi shook his head. “It’s a long story.”

Maki didn’t seem interested enough to ask any further questions.

“I don’t want to delay the picnic, but I suppose we have no choice,” Kaede said, accepting that it would be pointless to continue.

“Ryoma will probably have a better time if everything isn’t dripping wet…” Shuichi pointed out.

“We only have to push the picnic back by an hour or so,” Tenko reasoned. “Just enough time so you can make the food again.”

“Why don’t we move it to one o’clock?” Kaede suggested. “It’s closer to the time limit than I’d like, but there’s nothing we can do.”

“We need Kaito to tell everyone the new time,” Shuichi said.

“Where even is Kaito?” Rantaro asked. "It still doesn't make sense to me that no one else is here."

"Maybe they didn't hear the alarm?" Shuichi theorised. "It's a little strange, but since so many people are missing, there's probably a logical explanation." 

“It’s going to take too long to find Kaito,” Tenko said. “He could be anywhere.”

“Maybe we’re better off just passing on the message ourselves.” Rantaro considered. “It shouldn’t take long.”

“Especially not if we split up,” Shuichi nodded.

“Maki, I take it that you’re going back to your lab?” Rantaro asked.

“You would be correct,” Maki replied.

“Okay, well, Kaede, I’ll come with you,” Rantaro said. “Shuichi and Tenko, you two can go together as well.”

“Uh, I hope you’re joking,” Tenko glared at Rantaro. “Why would I go alone with a degenerate male?!”

“Well, after hearing your secret earlier, I thought that maybe it would do you some good to spend more time alone around males,” Rantaro reasoned. “Shuichi is probably the nicest one I know.”

“I suppose you are slightly better than other degenerates,” Tenko stared at Shuichi. “But still! I’d rather go with Kaede.”

“Look, just go this one time with Shuichi, and then I’ll never ask you to go anywhere with him ever again,” Rantaro bargained. “Just think, if we ever do make it out of this place, things like this would be good for your reputation.”  
  
“Fine,” Tenko gritted her teeth. “I suppose I can deal with this. But Shuichi, don’t think I’m enjoying the time I spend with you!”

“Isn’t it nice feeling so appreciated...” Shuichi muttered.

“Don’t make remarks under your breath, degenerate.” Tenko scowled.

“Sorry!” Shuichi apologised. “Okay, so where do you want to go first?”

“Let’s go to Himiko’s lab,” Tenko said. “I just want to make sure she’s okay after the false fire alarm. She should still be in there, practising her magic.”

Shuichi was surprised that Tenko wanted to visit Himiko, since Tsumugi would be there, but perhaps she was feeling guilty after snapping at Himiko in the gym. Shuichi was more than happy to follow Tenko, because he wanted to remain on her good side.

Back inside the school building, everything was wet. It hadn’t flooded, but you could certainly tell the sprinklers had triggered. The carpet Shuichi walked on was damp, which was an irritating sensation against his shoes.

As they walked side by side, Shuichi noticed that Tenko was keeping quite a lot of space between them, as if she was too afraid to stand close to Shuichi.

“I don’t bite, you know,” Shuichi joked, trying to address the awkward tension.

“I know,” Tenko retorted. “If I thought you were one of the really bad ones, I wouldn’t even be alone with you.”  
  
“Thanks, I guess…” Shuichi said, unsure whether this was a compliment or not.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Tenko replied. “I won’t be making a habit of this.”

“I better appreciate the moment then,” Shuichi remarked. “It's a rare opp-”

He cut himself short. As they turned the corner, just in front of Himiko’s lab, Shuichi saw the most horrific sight, which made his stomach drop. Lying on her stomach, like a bear skinned rug, was Tsumugi. Next to her lifeless body was a sword. There appeared to be faint traces of blood on its sharp edge, but the sword was wet, meaning most of the blood had probably been washed away by the sprinklers. 

“T-Tsumugi!” Shuichi cried, as he hurried to her side.

Tenko quickly followed. “I-is she…?” she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

Shuichi reached out for Tsumugi’s wrist, searching for her pulse. Much to his surprise, he found a beat. “I-I think she’s alive!” he gasped.

“Hmmm?” with a voice that was barely a whisper, Tsumugi responded.

“I-I can’t believe it!” Tenko said, her voice shaking. “T-Tsumugi, you’re okay!”

Tsumugi slowly sat up. “W-what’s going on?” 

“Tsumugi, I think you’ve been attacked,” Shuichi explained, attempting to remain as calm as possible, so he didn't distress her. In his eyes, this looked like a failed murder attempt. “D-do you know what happened to you?”

“N-no,” Tsumugi replied. Her entire body was trembling. “S-sorry, my head hurts, I can’t really think.”

“Your head?” Shuichi said. “Does anywhere else hurt? I’m not sure if you’ve been stabbed.”

“S-stabbed?” Tsumugi repeated. “N-no, I haven’t been stabbed. It’s just my head.”

“Do you mind if I take a look?” Shuichi asked.

“S-sure…” Tsumugi said.

Tsumugi's hair was just as wet as Shuichi's, which meant that it was rather tangled. He did his best, combing his fingers through it, in order to check every single inch of her scalp. Soon enough, on the back of her skull, he found a large, bruised lump, which was roughly the size of an egg.

“O-oh my god!” Shuichi exclaimed. “No wonder you’re in pain. Tenko, come look at this.”

“Ouch,” Tenko winced. “Did you hit your head, Tsumugi?”

“N-not that I can remember,” Tsumugi replied. “Himiko and I had been practising magic together, and I left the room to go to the toilet. I was on my way back from the toilet, just about to enter the lab, when everything went black.”

“I think someone must’ve hit you over the back of the head,” Shuichi theorised. “That would explain the lump and the headache. You could actually be suffering from a concussion, in which case-”

Tenko interrupted him. “Shuichi, will you be quiet for a minute?”

“H-huh?” Shuichi didn’t understand what he was doing wrong.

“Tsumugi, did you say Himiko was still in her lab when you left?” Tenko asked. There was a clear sense of urgency in her voice.

“A-as far as I’m aware of,” Tsumugi replied. "I went to the toilet alone." 

“I-I need to check on Himiko!” Tenko cried. “W-what if she’s been attacked too?”

“Tenko-” Shuichi attempted to calm her down, but Tenko wasn’t willing to listen.

Tenko burst open the door to Himiko’s lab, and Shuichi followed in after her, just to make sure that everything was okay.

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_

_“A body has been discovered. Please make your way to the swimming pool, where we can begin our investigation.”_

Time stood still for Shuichi, the world around him frozen. With his head spinning, he tried to take everything in. There was a giant pool of blood on the floor, spread out so far that it almost reached his shoes. Lying face down in the blood, was none other than Himiko Yumeno. The young witch had been impaled by a sword, which was sticking out of her back. 

What Shuichi saw was disturbing enough, but nothing haunted him more than the painful scream that came from Tenko’s mouth. He'd never heard anything like it; a scream filled with upset, heartbreak, and pure despair. 

“Himiko!” Tenko practically flew to Himiko’s side, kneeling next to her body and instantly soaking her white socks with blood. “T-this is a trick right? Y-you’re going to sit up any minute now!"

Himiko didn't respond.

"H-Himiko?" Tenko voice cracked as she cried her name. "H-Himiko?!"

Still, Himiko did not respond.

Tenko began to gently shake Himiko's lifeless body, as her eyes filled with tears. "I-if this is r-real, you can use your magic to save yourself. R-right, Himiko?” 

Frozen to the spot, Shuichi didn’t know what to do. He wanted to comfort Tenko, but he wasn’t sure how.

“P-please, Himiko! Why aren’t you waking up? Why isn’t your magic working?” Tenko couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into tears. Her sobs were brutal and gut-wrenching to listen to, making Shuichi feel guilty for even being in the room. 

Shuichi decided to keep some distance, as this was a moment that Tenko needed to have alone. He glanced at the door, hoping someone would turn up to help. However, no one was there. It seemed a little strange, since everyone had made it to the crime scene in seconds flat when Kirumi had died.

"Himiko  _please_!" Tenko begged, as she continued to shake Himiko, desperate to bring her back to life. 

As Shuichi watched Tenko mourn, he replayed the Body Discovery Announcement in his head.

_“A body has been discovered. Please make your way to the swimming pool, where we can begin our investigation.”_

The swimming pool…

Why had Monokuma called everyone to the swimming pool? Was he purposely trying to ruin the investigation?! Shuichi knew that Monokuma wasn’t allowed to involve himself with the cases, or tamper with any evidence, but perhaps this was some kind of loophole, where he could waste their time.

“T-Tenko…” Shuichi spoke up, his voice trembling.

Tenko didn’t reply. She wasn’t ignoring him on purpose, she was just too busy pleading with Himiko to wake up.

Shuichi continued to speak. “M-Monokuma told everyone to go to the pool. I need to find the others so…so we can begin the investigation,” he hated saying it; his words were concrete, suggesting to Tenko that Himiko was really dead.

Tenko stopped for a second, turning around to face Shuichi. She had blood all over her clothes, the result of clutching Himiko. Her eyes were puffy and red, with tears still travelling down her face. “S-she’s not coming b-back, is she?”

Her question was like a punch to the stomach, and one that Shuichi did not want to answer. “N-no, I don’t think so,” he didn’t _think_ so, he _knew_ so, but he softened his answer for Tenko’s sake.

“C-can you go the pool without me?” Tenko asked, her voice close to a whisper. “I…I want to stay here with Himiko. S-she shouldn’t be l-left alone.”

“Of course,” Shuichi nodded. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

Back in the hallway, Shuichi reunited with Tsumugi, who was curled up in a ball, hugging her knees. Her eyes were filled with tears.

“I-I heard Tenko scream,” Tsumugi whispered. “I-it’s Himiko, isn’t it?”

“I…” Shuichi struggled to swallow. “I’m afraid it is.”

Tsumugi’s bottom lip trembled and the tears began to flow. “W-why...why...Himiko..."

“Tsumugi, I need to go to the swimming pool,” Shuichi said. “It’s really important. Are you going to be okay? You might have a concussion, but I really have to check something before I see to you.”

“I-I’ll stay here,” Tsumugi stammered.

“Tenko is in there, if you come over badly, go to her,” Shuichi instructed. He felt bad forcing responsibility onto Tenko, given how upset she was, but Tsumugi was in a vulnerable position with her health, and keeping her alive was his top priority.

Tsumugi fiercely shook her head. “I-I can’t go in there. I-I can’t see Himiko like that.”

“I understand, but I have to go,” Shuichi said, sympathetically. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

Wanting to keep to his promise, Shuichi sprinted towards the exit. He wasn’t one for running, but they were against the clock, as Monokuma could call the class trial at any minute. It was bad practise to leave one person alone at the crime season, but Shuichi knew that he could trust Tenko. There was no way that Tenko had killed Himiko; no one’s acting was  _that_ good.

Shuichi had to slow down once he was outside, as he felt like he was going to throw up. It was probably from the shock of the body, not the exercise, but running wasn’t helping.

He didn’t want to go to the swimming pool and tell everyone the bad news. The thought of it made him feel weak. Everyone was probably standing around in confusion, wondering why Monokuma had called them there for no reason. What did they think had happened? He, Tenko, Tsumugi, and Himiko were all missing. Was anyone worried about them?

Shuichi’s hands were trembling more than ever as he let himself into the pool. Sure enough, everybody was there. Having stepped through the door, he found himself raising his voice, without even realising it. “T-there’s a body!" he cried. As the words left his mouth, a mental image of Himiko’s corpse shot through his brain, causing Shuichi to wince in pain.

“We know…” Rantaro said, his voice echoing from across the giant space. “We’ve been waiting for you to show up.”

“H-huh?” Shuichi didn’t understand. At least, not until he glanced at the pool.

A pool with very red water...

“I-is that b-blood?” Shuichi choked on his own words. He hurried to the water’s edge, before anyone could even answer his question. 

“Not there, Shuichi,” Kaede said softly. She pointed to one of the many sun loungers.

Shuichi’s head jolted in the direction of Kaede's fingers. On the lounger, pale and completely rigid, was the body of Korekiyo Shinguji.


	11. The Investigation (2.5)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> I've been on holiday the past week. I took my laptop but forgot the charger lol, so it took longer than I planned to get this chapter up.
> 
> I hope you enjoy :)

“Korekiyo?!” Shuichi whispered.

This couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him. There was no way Korekiyo was dead.

Shuichi ran towards the lounger to get a closer look, so he could confirm that his brain was messing with him. However, before he reached his destination, he lost his footing, due to the slippery, wet titles surrounding the pool, and came crashing to the ground. Thankfully, he evaded the water, but his knees took the weight of his fall.

“Oof!” Shuichi cried out, as he came into contact with the floor. The pain was so intense, that his eyes started to water.

“Shuichi!” Kaede gasped. She hurried to his side and offered her hand, to help him up.

Back on his feet, Shuichi brushed himself down. He’d torn his trousers and blood was seeping through the fabric, but he didn’t care. Limping slightly, Shuichi approached the sunlounger.

It was real…

...This wasn’t a lie...

...This wasn’t a joke.

Korekiyo Shinguji was dead.

His mouth mask was nowhere to be seen, revealing his exceptionally pale skin, and a numb, gormless expression. Staring into his hollow eyes, Shuichi saw no sign of life.

“He was in the pool when we found him,” Rantaro explained. “Kaito pulled him out of the water, but it was already too late.”

“I thought we might be able to perform CPR,” Kaito sighed, disappointed in himself.

"I can't believe it..." Shuichi muttered, in complete and utter shock. He was never going to see Korekiyo again, or have another conversation with him. Just like that, he was gone from existence.

"When we heard the BDA...it shocked me to my core," Kaito said. "I thought we were so close to overcoming the motive."

"How far away from the time limit were we?" Ryoma asked.

Using his clock function, Keebo was able to answer that question. "It's currently quarter past eleven, meaning, we had just under four hours to go."

"You were too optimistic," Maki said to Kaito. "Four hours is a long time."

"I don't care," Kaito huffed. "To me, it felt like we were gonna make it."

"We can't sit here thinking about what might have been," Rantaro said wisely. "We've got an investigation on our hands now."

"Investigation can't start yet," Gonta objected. "People still missing."

"Oh yeah, we're still waitin' for Tenko, Himiko, and Tsumugi," Kaito said.

"Fuck 'em, I say," Miu remarked.

"I think it's important that we wait," Kaede insisted. "Shuichi, I don't suppose you saw any of them on your way over?"

"They're probably distracted, practising Himiko's shitty magic," Miu rolled her eyes.

“...” Shuichi opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. "I-I-"

“Shuichi, is everything okay?” Rantaro asked, aware that something was bothering his friend.

Shuichi took a deep breath to compose himself, before breaking the bad news. “I’m so sorry to tell you like this, but there’s been another murder. H-Himiko has...has been killed in her lab. Tsumugi was attacked too, but she survived."

A cold chill swept the room, with pale faces growing paler. No one knew what to say or how to react.

“A double murder…” Rantaro remarked. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Someone’s got balls!” Miu exclaimed.

“Two people have died?” Keebo looked to Shuichi. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure!” Shuichi exclaimed. “When the Body Discovery Announcement sounded, I presumed it was for Himiko. It took me a few minutes to realise that I'd actually been called to the pool.”

“If Himiko’s BDA didn’t sound, then she can’t be dead,” Keebo disagreed. “Are you sure that you aren’t mistaken?”

“I’m certain, Keebo,” Shuichi replied. “Her body has been impaled with a sword.” he didn’t enjoy sharing the gory details of Himiko’s death, but he had to convince the others that he was telling the truth.

“Shuichi, who else was with you when you found Himiko’s body?” Maki asked.

“Just Tenko,” Shuichi shared.

“Duh-doy! That’s why the announcement didn’t sound for Himiko," Miu snarked. “It says in the rules, you need three people to see the body. You're not very smart for a detective, Pooichi.”

Shuichi’s mind had been so swept up in everything, he hadn’t stopped to think. That being said, he didn't appreciate Miu's rude explanation. "Oh, of course! So, does that mean three of you found Korekiyo's body?"

Rantaro nodded. “Kaede and I bumped into Kaito. The three of us came here together, since we were spreading the message about the new picnic time.”

“More importantly, is Tenko on her own at the crime scene right now?” Maki asked.

“Sort of,” Shuichi replied. “She's with Tsumugi, but Tsumugi is barely conscious. Tenko is really distraught, so I didn’t want to drag her over here.”

"So you left her alone at the crime scene?" Maki frowned, her tone judgemental.

"I had no choice," Shuichi protested. He was suffering from shock himself.

“We need to go to Himiko’s lab,” Kokichi said. “It’s not a good idea to leave Tenko alone; she might be tampering with the evidence.”

"Tsumugi's there," Shuichi reminded him.

"If she's barely conscious, Tenko could be up to anything and I doubt she'd notice," Kokichi reasoned.

“Oh come on, Kokichi,” Kaito scoffed. “It’s Tenko, she wouldn’t do that. Himiko was her friend.”

“I’m just saying,” Kokichi shrugged. “But if you wanna risk our lives during the class trial, fine by me…”

“It’s a good idea to visit Himiko's lab, so Monokuma can at least sound her body discovery announcement,” Rantaro pointed out. “After all, this is going to be a double murder investigation.”

“I wonder how this works,” Keebo pondered. “Will we get extra time to investigate?”

At that very moment, the Monokubs burst into the swimming pool, making it apparent that they’d been eavesdropping.

“Nope, no extra time!” a smug Monotaro revealed. “Father will call for the trial whenever he feels like it.”

“That doesn’t sound fair,” Kaito objected.

“Life’s not fuckin’ fair!” Monokid snapped. “Especially not for Korekiyo and Himiko, ahahaha!”

“In that case, we’ve got no time to be wasting,” Shuichi said. “We need to go to Himiko’s lab.” he wasn’t going to spend his investigation time bantering with the Monokubs.

“But what if someone tampers with the evidence here?” Kaede pointed out.

“If we all leave together, nobody will be able to tamper,” Keebo put forward.

“That’s probably the safest way to protect this crime scene,” Rantaro agreed. “I would ask the Monokubs to keep watch, but I’m not sure that we can trust them…”

“Definitely not,” Ryoma muttered, shooting the bears a look of distrust.

The students left the swimming pool and made their way to Himiko’s lab in solemn silence. It was as if they were on their way to a funeral, which, in some ways, they kind of were.

Tsumugi hadn’t moved from outside of Himiko’s lab. She was still on the floor, hugging her knees. She looked very pale and shaken up, but Shuichi couldn’t tell if this was the result of the concussion or grief.

“Tsumugi, how’s your head?” Shuichi asked.

“I-it’s r-really...really p-painful,” Tsumugi replied. It seemed like she was struggling to even speak. “I...I feel sick too.”

"It definitely sounds like you have a concussion," Shuichi stated. “I think you need to sit this investigation out.”

Tsumugi gave a feeble shake of her head. “I...I can’t. I...I have to help Himiko.”

“I’d rather you try to recover in time for the trial than burn yourself out during the investigation,” Shuichi said.

Tsumugi nodded weakly. "I-I understand."

"That's not fair," Miu protested. "Why does she get to sit on her ass whilst we do all the work?"

"Miu, she was attacked..." Kaede pointed out.

"Seems like Miu can't handle the attention being on someone else," Kokichi smirked.

“Yes, I can!” Miu retorted aggressively. “When we found Korekiyo’s body, I didn’t mention myself for at least two minutes.”

Tsumugi looked at Miu with a puzzled expression. “K-Korekiyo’s body?”

“Oh shit, you don’t know, do you?!” Miu exclaimed. “Well yeah, Korekiyo’s been murdered too.”

This really wasn’t the way Shuichi wanted Tsumugi to learn the truth, but it was too late to stop Miu from talking.

“T-two victims?” Tsumugi gasped, completely shocked by the news. “W-who...who would…”

“That’s hopefully what we’re going to find out,” Shuichi said.

“D-do your best Shuichi,” Tsumugi offered her support.

“I’ll try…” Shuichi replied. “Anyway, Tsumugi, I hate to rush off, but we better go and tell Tenko the news. I’ll be back to see you in a minute.”

Shuichi led his classmates to the crime scene, where Tenko was still huddled over Himiko’s body. Her gentle sobs could be heard from the doorway, and they weren't any easier to listen to.

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_

_“A body has been discovered. Please make your way to the Ultimate Magician’s Lab, so we can begin our investigation.”_

Tenko looked up, having heard the others enter the room. “I...I don’t think she’s coming back,” she whispered. “But I don’t understand. Her magic should have saved her. Why didn’t it save her?”

Shuichi knew the answer to that question; Himiko was a magician, not a witch. However, it felt inappropriate to point this out, so he changed the subject.

“Um, Tenko, there’s something I have to tell you,” Shuichi braced himself. He felt like the bearer of bad news. The messenger of death. “The reason the BDA called us to the swimming pool, is because...because...Korekiyo has also been murdered.”

Tenko’s eyes widened in horror. “W-what?!”

“We found him in the pool,” Kaito informed her.

“T-then, this is a double murder?” Tenko said, attempting to piece everything together.

Shuichi nodded. “It could’ve been a triple if Tsumugi hadn’t survived her attack.”

“A triple murder takes some guts!” Kokichi exclaimed. “Even if it is a bit greedy.”

“I don’t understand,” Tenko sighed, lowering her head. “One murder is bad enough, so why would someone want to claim two lives?”

“I’d like to know that myself,” Shuichi said. “Two bodies means two crime scenes, which could offer a lot more evidence.”

“The killer is playing with fire…” Rantaro remarked.

“There must be a reason for it,” Kaito theorised. “No one just kills two people ‘cuz they can’.”

“What if they’re a psychopath?” Kokichi put forward.

“Maybe one of the victims witnessed the other victim being murdered, so they had to die too,” Miu suggested.

“That’s an awful thought,” Kaede shuddered.

"Or, we've got two killers on our hands," Shuichi stated. "With the motive looming, it's certainly possible that two different people committed murder."

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that," Rantaro replied. "But I agree, it's pretty like something like that happened." 

"Does that mean there could be two people getting executed?" Kaito gulped. 

As they were talking, the Monokubs made their way into the room. They were cheerfully chatting amongst themselves, clearly undisturbed by the murders.

Monophanie was holding a small, technological device, which Shuichi suspected to be the Monokuma File.

“Geez, haven’t youse lot started investigatin’ yet?” Monosuke asked. “The clock’s ticking, and you’ve got two crimes to solve!”

“It’s only been five minutes,” Kaede objected.

“Tick fuckin’ tock,” Monokid teased.

Since time wasn't on their side, Shuichi decided to get things moving. “Monophanie, is that the Monokuma File?” he pointed.

“Oh, yes it is,” Monophanie nodded, as she passed the device to Shuichi. “It’s a special delivery from Daddy.”

“He sends his apologies that he isn’t here himself,” Monotaro said.

“Where is he?” Rantaro inquired.

“Monokuma missing again?” Gonta asked hopefully.

“Obviously he ain’t missing, or he wouldn’t have passed on a message. Idiot!” Monokid said rudely.

“Daddy is getting ready for the trial,” Monophanie explained. “He needs to file his nails, wax his eyebrows, take a bath, trim his-”

“Okay, we get it,” Maki cut her short. “You can leave now, unless you’ve got anything else to give us?”

The Monokubs were empty-handed, so they left the students alone, allowing them to begin the investigation.

Time wasn't on their side, so Shuichi had to get things moving. The previous investigation had given him the confidence he needed to take on a leadership role. There was no time to be afraid; they had to start looking for clues.

“For this investigation, I think we need to split up,” Shuichi put forward. “We might not have time to cover both crime scenes, so we can’t afford to all stay in one place.”

“I’ll go back to the pool, if you want,” Rantaro offered. “We worked closely together during the last investigation, so I have a pretty good idea of what to do.”

“That would be brilliant, thank you,” Shuichi said gratefully. He knew that he could trust Rantaro to do a thorough job.

“I’ll go as well,” Kaito said. “I can help Rantaro.”

“Gonta help too,” Gonta volunteered. “Gentleman always try their best.”

“Thank you both,” Shuichi said, before turning to face Kaede. “Kaede, would you mind staying here with me?”

“Of course,” Kaede nodded. “I’ll help you however you need.”

“Before the rest of you go,” Shuichi said, addressing his classmates. “I have to ask, does anyone here have any kind of medical experience? I believe Tsumugi has a concussion and I really need someone to look after her.”

“You seem to know enough about concussions yourself, Pooichi,” Miu said. “Why don’t you help her? I thought you’d love the opportunity to have some alone time with a girl. Especially one with good tits like Tsumugi. Although, of course, they don’t compare to mine.”

Shuichi frowned, repulsed by Miu. “I know the symptoms of a concussion, but my knowledge doesn’t go much further than that.”

“Besides, we need Shuichi to lead the investigation,” Kaito pointed out. “Keeping the Ultimate Detective away from the crime scene sounds like a terrible idea.”

“I should be able to help,” Keebo volunteered. “Professor Idabashi has taught me many things, so I have a good understanding of basic medical knowledge.”

“So, you’re like a doctor?” Kaito asked.

“Well, I couldn’t perform surgery or anything like that," Keebo clarified. "But I am more than capable of looking after Tsumugi."

“Keebo, that would be brilliant,” Shuichi replied, filled with gratitude. “It’s dangerous leaving someone with a concussion alone, so can you stay with her? Maybe take her to the dining hall, so she's out of the way.”

“Certainly,” Keebo nodded.

With no time to waste, the students parted ways. Keebo went to find Tsumugi. Meanwhile, Rantaro, Kaito, and Gonta travelled to the pool. Shuichi remained at the crime scene with Tenko and Kaede. The detective wasn’t quite sure where everyone else had gone, but he hoped that their efforts would be helpful.

Tenko was still clinging to Himiko’s body, which made Shuichi very uncomfortable, as he needed to investigate it. He whispered to Kaede. “How are we going to move Tenko? I don’t want to upset her even more.”

“Let me handle this!” Kaede said, her voice filled with determination as she approached Tenko. “Hey, Tenko. Do you mind if I sit with you?"

Tenko gave a feeble nod, her eyes still fixated on Himiko.

Kaede lowered herself onto the floor, resting on her knees. She sat besides Tenko, ignoring the puddle of blood she'd just knelt in. "Tenko, I know everything seems terrible right now, and you probably don’t want to leave Himiko’s side, but Shuichi and I really need to look at her, to help aid the investigation."

"I know," Tenko whispered, as a fresh batch of tears travelled down her face. "It's just...if you do...then this all becomes real. There's no turning back."

"I...I think we're already past that point," Kaede said gently. "We might not be able to bring Himiko back, but we can still get her the justice she deserves. In order to do that, we need to collect as much evidence as possible.”

Tenko sighed. “I...I know I haven’t known Himiko for very long, maybe you even think I’m being stupid for being upset, but she was really special to me. And...the fact that somebody could hurt her like this…”

“We’re not judging you, Tenko,” Kaede said. “This hurts all of us.”

“H-how’s Tsumugi doing?” Tenko asked, turning to Shuichi for answers. “D-does she know that...that…” she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

“She does,” Shuichi replied. “She’s got a concussion from her attack, so Keebo is looking after her.”

“I hope she’s okay,” Tenko said sincerely. “I know we weren’t the best of friends, but I'm glad we didn’t lose her too. I really mean it.”

Shuichi could tell that Tenko was being truthful.

“You know…” Tenko continued. “I regret it all, I regret it all so much.”

“What are you talking about?” Kaede asked.

“How I was always so jealous of their friendship,” Tenko elaborated, wincing at her own mistakes. “I hated the fact that Himiko wanted to be around Tsumugi and not me. But instead of embracing it, and being Tsumugi’s friend too, I pushed myself out. I stayed away because I didn’t wanna feel like the third wheel. But...but now...I...I’d give anything to have those moments again with Himiko.”

Tenko let out a gentle sob and Kaede wrapped her arm around her for support. Shuichi took a step back, feeling out of his depth. Tenko was clearly hurting and he wasn’t sure how to ease that pain. Thankfully, Kaede had some wise words to offer up.

“Tenko, it’s easy to look back and reflect on what we’d change; hindsight is a bittersweet thing,” Kaede said. “But the more time we spend in the past, the more we distance ourselves from the future. And right now, we have a class trial to face.”

“You’re right,” Tenko said, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “I can’t get sidetracked with regrets; we’ve got to investigate. I want to catch whoever did this to Himiko, because it isn’t fair. She never did anything wrong, she didn’t deserve this.”

“I know she didn’t,” Kaede agreed. “So that’s why we’ve got to work together and catch her killer. Okay?”

“Yes! Let’s do this!” filled with a sense of determination, Tenko got up from the floor. Drying her eyes with her sleeve, she turned to Shuichi. “Shuichi, do you think you can solve this case?”

“I...I can’t say for certain, but I’m going to try my best.” Shuichi replied. He certainly had more confidence than he did with the first case.

“Good!” Tenko exclaimed. “I wouldn’t usually put my faith in a degenerate, but for the sake of Himiko’s justice, I will. And...and once this is all over, I’m going to make more of an effort with Tsumugi too. I know it’s what Himiko would want.”  

“That’s a lovely idea, Tenko,” Kaede smiled. “I’m sure Himiko would be proud of you.”

“Before we begin with the investigation, did either of you two want to clean yourselves up?” Shuichi asked, aware that Tenko and Kaede were covered in Himiko’s blood.

Tenko shook her head. “No, that can wait. I’m not wasting time when I could be helping Himiko.”

“I feel the same way,” Kaede agreed.

It was a brave decision, which Shuichi admired them for. “Okay, then let’s get going. To start, we should probably read the Monokuma File that the Kubs gave us.”

“I’ll read it, if you like,” Kaede offered.

Shuichi nodded and passed the device over to Kaede.

Kaede tapped the screen, bringing it to life. Just like with Kirumi’s file, it began with a photo of the victim and some of their basic information. Kaede skipped past this, focusing on the important details only. “The victim is Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Magician. She died in her talent lab, due to the puncture of a vital organ. Her death was instant. There are no traces of poison in her system.”

“Hmm….” Shuichi paused to take everything in. “This file is different from Kirumi’s; it tells us how Himiko died.”

"But it doesn't tell us Himiko's time of death," Kaede pointed out.

“I noticed that too!” Tenko agreed. “Why would Monokuma leave that part out?”

“He enjoys making us work for the information,” Kaede sighed.

“We better start looking then,” Shuichi said. “Tenko, perhaps you could search around Himiko’s lab. See if you can find anything out of the ordinary, which might be a clue.”

“Okay, leave it to me!” Tenko promised.

Tenko got to work, leaving Shuichi and Kaede free to study Himiko’s body. Kaede was already on the floor and Shuichi knew he had no choice but to join her. He lowered himself to the ground, the blood instantly soaking his trousers. He seriously hoped he had some time to change before the class trial.

“I’m surprised there’s still so much blood here after the sprinklers,” Kaede remarked.

“There must’ve been a lot of it,” Shuichi replied. “I don’t think the sprinklers were powerful enough to wash it all away.”

“Thank goodness,” Kaede said. “Or it might have made this case even more confusing.”

Looking over Himiko’s body, there were no clues to be found. Her pockets were empty, so that was an empty lead. The only thing to study was the giant sword protruding from her back.

“We need to take the sword out of Himiko’s back,” Shuichi stated.

“Really?” Kaede winced. "Is that necessary?"

"I'm afraid so," Shuichi replied, aware that it wasn't going to be a pretty sight. "It seems obvious that the sword is the murder weapon, but I want to be certain. You never know, this could be a red herring."

“Good thinking, Shuichi,” Kaede said. “I’ll remove the sword, if you want. Do I need to put gloves on to stop my fingerprints from ruining the evidence?”

“Don’t worry; there’s no point,” Shuichi informed her. “In the real world you’d have to, but in here, we have no way to test for fingerprints. This would be a lot easier if we did, though…”

Kaede stood up to remove the sword from Himiko’s back. She was careful with her movements; out of respect and also so she didn’t stab Shuichi by accident. As the sword left Himiko's body, blood began to ooze out of a nasty looking wound.

“Oh, she’s still bleeding!” Kaede exclaimed. “I thought the blood would have dried up by now.”

“It takes around ten hours for that to happen,” Shuichi said, sharing the knowledge his Uncle had taught him. “We just reopened the cut.”

“Sorry, Himiko,” Kaede apologised.

Shuichi got up from the floor also, so he could inspect the sword with Kaede.

“It looks so sharp,” Kaede’s eyes widened, as she studied its blade. “I hope Himiko didn’t suffer…”

"According to the Monokuma File, her death was instant, so she wouldn't have even had time to process what was happening," Shuichi said.

He was glad that Himiko hadn't suffered a painful death, but the thought of dying so quickly seemed equally terrifying. One minute she was alive, and the next...she was just gone.

"So, what do you think about this sword?" Kaede asked. "It doesn’t seem like a red herring to me.”

“It's definitely the murder weapon,” Shuichi concluded. “It’s sharp enough to pierce any vital organ. I wasn’t sure at first, because I thought the sword might be part of a magic trick, but I can see now that it’s real.”

“I thought the sword might be part of a trick too,” Kaede agreed. “I mean, we can both see where it’s come from…”

In the corner of Himiko’s lab, a magic trick had been set up. It was a box, with a series of swords running through it. The swords were identical to the one that had been in Himiko's back. Filled with curiosity, Shuichi and Kaede approached the strange contraption.

“The killer must have taken a sword from here and stabbed Himiko,” Shuichi said.

"Definitely," Kaede nodded. "They wouldn't have had to look very far for a weapon."

"I want to see how easy it is to remove one of the swords from the box," Shuichi said. "Could just anyone do this, or does it require a good amount of strength?"

"That's true," Kaede said. "And do the swords come out easily, or is removing them part of the trick?”

"Let's both try and remove one," Shuichi suggested.

Kaede put down the sword she was holding and reached for a new one. Grabbing it by the handle, she pulled the sword from the box with ease. “It’s a little heavy, but I’m pretty sure anyone could do this.”

To confirm Kaede’s statement, Shuichi had a go too. He retrieved a sword from the box as easily as Kaede had done. “You’re right, that was really easy.”

“Oh, Shuichi, we should probably check that the blades on our swords are as sharp as the one that killed Himiko,” Kaede proposed. “Imagine if only one was real and the rest were all dummies.”

"That's a good point," Shuichi said. He approached a nearby armchair, which worked perfectly for his plan, and stabbed it with his sword. The sword pierced through the fabric with ease.

Kaede copied. Just like Shuichi’s, the sword pierced the material straight away. “Well, that confirms it then. All of these swords are really sharp. I don’t think there are any dummies at all.”

“I wonder how this trick works,” Shuichi muttered, as he studied the device. It was probably an answer only Himiko knew. 

“Maybe Tsumugi knows, since they practised the tricks together?” Kaede suggested, hopefully.

“Great thinking!” Shuichi said. “We can ask her before the trial.”

Satisfied with the information that they’d collected, the two friends turned their attention to Tenko, who was busy searching the other side of the lab.

“Tenko,” Kaede asked. “Have you had much luck finding anything?”

Tenko turned around. “Nothing here seems out of the ordinary,” she sighed. “Sorry, I wish I could be more helpful.”

“Don’t apologise,” Shuichi said. “Sometimes, the killer doesn’t leave behind as many clues as you’d like.”

“Well, I”m going to keep looking,” Tenko said strongly. “I have to do this for Himiko.”

“Look everywhere you can,” Shuichi said. “You never know what you might find.”

“How are you two getting on?” Tenko asked.

“We’ve collected a fair amount of information,” Shuichi replied. “So actually, I think now would be a good time for me to visit Korekiyo’s crime scene.”

“You need to get a good understanding of both murders,” Kaede agreed.

“Would you two mind staying here?” Shuichi asked. He knew that Tenko wouldn’t want to leave Himiko’s lab, and leaving her all alone would be a bad idea. Not because he thought Tenko would tamper with anything, but because she was vulnerable.

“Of course,” Kaede replied. “Hopefully I’ll catch up with you before the trial.”

Facing the class trial with only one crime scene under his belt was dangerous, so Shuichi was ready to move on. He waved goodbye to Kaede and left for the pool, relieved that he could take a break from looking at Himiko's body. He was aware that this break wasn't going to be very long, since he was about to face Korekiyo, but the two minutes it took him to reach the pool were well appreciated.

As Shuichi opened the door to the swimming pool, he was greeted by his friends. The boys were sat on separate sun loungers, the ones furthest away from Korekiyo's body.

"We're not being lazy," Rantaro said, before Shuichi even had the chance to say anything. "We’ve looked over Korekiyo's body, but there wasn't much to see."

"We didn't wanna leave the crime scene though," Kaito added. "So, for now, we're just keeping guard."

Shuichi joined Rantaro, sitting beside him on his sun lounger. "You made the right decision. It means the killer can't tamper with any evidence."

“Shuichi..." Kaito said, seeking reassurance. "When I pulled Korekiyo out of the water, I didn’t mess things up, did I?"

"Mess things up?" Shuichi repeated, somewhat confused as to what Kaito was getting at.

"Yeah, I took him out of the water before you got the chance to see the crime scene," Kaito elaborated.

“No, you’re fine,” Shuichi said. “You thought he was still alive. It was the right thing to do.”

“Okay,” Kaito nodded. “I just got really worried that I’d messed with the evidence.”

“He was in the water anyway, so any potential evidence would've been washed away,” Shuichi said. “Besides, as I said to Kaede earlier, we can’t trace for fingerprints in here.”

“Okay, that’s good to know,” Kaito said, relaxing a little.

“So,” Shuichi changed the subject. “Have you found any evidence at all?”

“The Kubs brought us Korekiyo’s Monokuma File,” Rantaro replied. “That’s worth a read.”

“It’s a good place to start,” Shuichi agreed. “Could I see it, please?”

“Sure,” Rantaro fetched the file, which he’d placed underneath his sun lounger, and handed it over to Shuichi.

“Let’s see what it has to say…” Shuichi said, as he touched the screen. “The victim is Korekiyo Shinguji, the Ultimate Anthropologist. He died at the swimming pool. The cause of death is drowning. He also suffered from a significant head injury.”

“Monokuma’s been a lot more generous with the information this time,” Kaito said.

“He has,” Shuichi agreed. “Although, notice that he’s left out the time of Korekiyo’s death. It’s the same for Himiko.”

“Why he do that?” Gonta asked.

“He probably doesn’t wanna give us all the information on a plate,” Rantaro said. “We’ve gotta work for something.”

Shuichi turned his attention back to the file. “I can’t believe Korekiyo drowned. That must have been such a painful way to die…”

“To be honest, I’m surprised,” Kaito said. “I thought someone might have murdered Korekiyo elsewhere, and disposed of his body in the pool, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“Shuichi, you should take a look at his body,” Rantaro suggested. “I can show you the head injury the file mentions. It looks bad.”

“Really?!” Shuichi exclaimed. “I wonder if it’s like Tsumugi’s.”

"Shuichi, what can Gonta do to help?" Gonta asked, seeking advice from his peer. "Gentleman always try their best, but Gonta is doing nothing."

"Well Gonta," Shuichi said, taking a moment to think. "If you could go to the dormitories and visit both Himiko's and Korekiyo's rooms, that would be extremely helpful."

Gonta nodded eagerly. "Like we did for Kirumi!"

"Exactly," Shuichi said. "Look for anything that seems unusual or out of place."

With a mission in mind, Gonta left the pool, leaving the three boys to study Korekiyo's rigid body. The Anthropologist was still soaking wet; the smell of chlorine radiating from his clothes.

“Before I show you the head injury, there’s something else you ought to look at,” Rantaro said. “I don't think you noticed earlier, so look closely at Korekiyo's face.”

Shuichi did as Rantaro said. It was difficult looking Korekiyo in the eyes, but he had to be brave.

“Do you see it?” Rantaro asked.

“I...I do…” Shuichi replied. Another clue...Korekiyo’s face was covered in scratch marks. They looked painful and deep, and had clearly resulted in bleeding. Whoever had done this to Korekiyo's face had gone in hard. “Scratches. How strange…”

“Seems like evidence, if you ask me,” Kaito said.

"Definitely," Shuichi agreed. "This adds more layers to Korekiyo’s death. I have a feeling he was attacked before he was murdered.”

"Something bad definitely went down," Rantaro speculated.

Kaito raised his brow. “Do you think Korekiyo was fighting for his life?”

“I can’t say,” Shuichi replied. “But he must have been facing his killer, given the location of these scratches.”

“Man, that’s awful,” Kaito sighed. “Korekiyo must’ve known that he was going to die…”

It was too depressing to think about, so Shuichi removed himself from the conversation and focused on examining Korekiyo's body instead. He started off by looking inside of Korekiyo's pockets, but they were empty, with the exception of his dorm key and Monopad. Shuichi moved on in search for any hidden injuries on his body, which the Monokuma File might have neglected to mention. He didn't want to cross the line of indecency, so there was only so much skin that he could search, but he took off Korekiyo's jacket and removed his damp bandages - revealing a short-sleeved, white shirt underneath.

"That all seems normal to me," Kaito remarked, as he glanced over Korekiyo's arms.

"This might surprise you, but there is actually a clue here,” Shuichi said. "Look at Korekiyo's skin."

"What about it?" Kaito shrugged. "It's just ordinary skin..."

"Exactly," Shuichi said. "Now, think about Korekiyo’s three potential secrets.”

“Uh…” Kaito racked his brain. “One accused him of being the mole, another a serial killer past, and the third was...oh!" he gasped. "It was about a fire!"

"That's right," Shuichi replied. "A fire that Korekiyo started which left him covered in burns."

"Well, that's clearly not true," Rantaro said. “It must be one of Korekiyo’s lies.”

"So that means, Korekiyo’s either the mole or a serial killer?!" Kaito exclaimed. "That's crazy!"

“That explains why he didn’t wanna come to Confession Club…” Rantaro said.

"Perhaps Korekiyo's killer found out his truth, which is why they murdered him," Shuichi speculated. "That's just a theory, of course, but it's something we should consider."

"If he's the mole, then he's seen as our enemy, and if he was a serial killer before coming to the academy, then he's seen as a threat," Rantaro said. "No wonder he became a target."

"If the killer did find out Korekiyo's secret, I wonder how," Shuichi mused. "Even if they somehow saw his skin, there's no telling between the other two..."

Kaito scratched his head. “Somebody knows something that we don’t.”

There was certainly a lot to think about.

“Anyway,” Rantaro said. “I suppose now would be a good time to show you Korekiyo’s head injury.” He removed Korekiyo’s hat and began to part his hair. Once he found the right spot, he beckoned Shuichi to look.

The injury was a little tricky to see, since it was blended in with Korekiyo’s dark hair, but Shuichi was able to make out a bloodied cut on the back of his head.

“Ouch, that looks sore!” Shuichi sympathised.

“Is it similar to Tsumugi’s head injury?” Rantaro asked.

“Not really,” Shuichi replied. “Tsumugi’s injury is more of a bruise; an egg-shaped lump has formed. Whereas, this looks more like a gash.”

“We better remember this information for the trial,” Rantaro said.

“By the way, I just wanted to confirm something,” Shuichi said, speaking to both boys. “You two discovered Korekiyo’s body with Kaede, am I correct?”

“That’s right,” Kaito nodded.

“Kaede and I bumped into Kaito pretty much as soon as we headed inside the main building,” Rantaro explained. “I told him about the delayed picnic plans, so he came along with us to spread the message.”

“Oh but this is the weird part,” Kaito said. “I never heard the fire alarm go off. The sprinklers didn’t affect me either. I just came up from the basement and saw Rantaro and Kaede soaking wet.”

“Y-you didn’t hear the alarm?!” Shuichi exclaimed. “That’s strange. Although, it could explain why so few of us showed up outside.”

“Maybe there aren’t any alarms down in the basement because it’s so old,” Rantaro theorised.

“But the library is down there,” Shuichi’s eyes widened in horror. “If there was a fire, that would be the biggest hazard in the school! The books would all go up in flames.”

“I was in the AV room before I bumped into Rantaro,” Kaito said. “So maybe there’s some kind of soundproofing in there.”

“That’s a possibility,” Shuichi nodded. “But hardly anyone else showed up outside either, and I doubt everyone else happened to be in a room with soundproofing.”

“Also, I just wanna say, that I was down in the basement cuz I was looking for people to pass on the message to,” Kaito clarified. “I wasn’t up to anything shady.”

Shuichi didn’t have any particular concerns, since the basement wasn’t too close to either of the crime scenes. Kaito wasn’t a likely blackened in his eyes.

As they were talking, Gonta returned from his trip to the dormitories. He headed straight for the boys, eager to share his findings.

“How’d you get on, Gonta?” Rantaro asked.

“Gonta found clues!” Gonta exclaimed eagerly. “Although Gonta not sure what they mean...”

“Show us what you’ve got and we can see,” Shuichi said.

Gonta nodded and reached into his pockets. He presented Shuichi with a small bottle of vinegar. “Gonta found this in Korekiyo’s room.”

Shuichi took the vinegar, which had an awful stench, and looked at the bottle. “Um, I think this is just an ordinary bottle of vinegar.”

“Oh, it is?” Gonta’s face fell.

“Um, but...you never know, this might just be a really complex clue, which is hard to understand at first,” Shuichi attempted to reassure him. He didn’t want to crush his spirits and deter Gonta from helping ever again.

Kaito shrugged. “Korekiyo prolly just ate in his room one time and put the vinegar on his food.”

“Gonta also found this,” Gonta said, as he pulled a small paintbrush from his pocket.

Shuichi examined the item. It seemed like an ordinary paintbrush. Although, he couldn’t escape the smell of vinegar. He held the brush up to his nose, only to discover that the bristles had been soaked in vinegar. “Uhhh!” he gagged. “That stinks.”

“Of what?” Rantaro asked.

“Vinegar,” Shuichi retched.

“You’re saying he put the brush in the bottle of vinegar?” Rantaro followed up.

“It smells that way,” Shuichi insisted, as he thrust the paintbrush under Rantaro’s nose.

“Oh my god!” Rantaro gagged. “That is way too strong. But yeah, I think you’re right.”

“I bet Korekiyo painted the vinegar onto his food,” Kaito said. “That would be such a Korekiyo thing to do.”

“Now that you mention it, I can totally see him doing that.” Rantaro grinned.

“Gonta find nothing unusual in Himiko’s room,” Gonta informed them. “Oh, but Gonta almost forget! This was in Korekiyo’s room too.” he handed Shuichi a piece of white paper.

Shuichi examined the sheet of paper. It was completely blank on both sides. “Um, sorry Gonta, but this isn't a clue. It’s just a piece of paper.”

“It was on desk with bottle and brush, so Gonta thought it might be helpful,” Gonta explained.

“I’ll hold onto it, just in case,” Shuichi said kindly. To spare Gonta’s feelings, he folded the piece of paper and put it in his pocket.

Shuichi felt like he’d seen everything that he needed to at Korekiyo’s crime scene, so he was ready to move on. He wanted to check in on some of his other classmates, to find out if they’d discovered any clues.

“I’m going to get going now,” Shuichi excused himself. “We’ve been given more time than I expected, so I want to make the most of it.”

“That’s a good plan,” Kaito nodded. “I’m gonna stay here and guard Korekiyo’s body. Even though you've already looked at it, you never know what could happen."

“The three of you might as well stay here together,” Shuichi agreed. “Maybe have another look around the pool, just in case any new clues present themselves.”

“Will do,” Rantaro said. “I’ve been meaning to look in the pool cupboard, actually.”

“I’ll leave that up to you then,” Shuichi said. “I might not see you again until the class trial, so...good luck.”

“You too,” Rantaro replied.

Shuichi said his goodbyes and left the pool, in favour of returning to the main school building. He was halfway up the path, when the double doors opened, and out stepped Ryoma. He set eyes on Shuichi straight away.

“Shuichi, you’re just the person I’ve been looking for,” Ryoma said.

"Hi, Ryoma," Shuichi greeted him. "How's your investigation been going?"

"Fine," Ryoma replied, brushing off the question. "Listen, I've found something you're gonna wanna see."

“What is it?” Shuichi inquired.

“It’s just better for me to show you,” Ryoma insisted.

“So, where are we going?” Shuichi followed up.

“The library,” Ryoma replied.

“Okay,” Shuichi nodded. “Let’s get going.”

As Ryoma led Shuichi to the basement, he explained his reasoning for being down there in the first place. “I wanted to search places unrelated to the crime, in case the killer or killers tried to hide anything.”

“That’s a really good idea, Ryoma,” Shuichi praised. “It’s like how Angie hid the lemon juice bottles deep in the warehouse because she didn’t think we’d search there.”

“Exactly,” Ryoma nodded, as he opened the library's door, inviting Shuichi inside.

They stepped into the library and Shuichi glanced around; curious as to why Ryoma had brought him here. He didn’t notice anything at first, until Ryoma pointed to the right-hand corner of the room. On the floor, there was a large kitchen knife, accompanied by a piece of paper which was folded in half. The knife appeared clean, with no traces of blood.

Shuichi immediately retrieved the paper, which had been written on. “Have you read this?” he asked Ryoma.

Ryoma nodded. ”Yes, and you should read it too.”

Shuichi took a moment to see what the note had to say. Since Ryoma had already read it, he did so in his head.

_To my classmates (including the degenerates),_

_I am writing this letter so you know the reasons why I have chosen to take my own life. This has been a difficult decision to make, but one that I have come to terms with. My secret is not something I’m proud of, so the thought of you learning it pains me. I know that if you found out, you would all judge me greatly and never want to speak to me again. I would do almost anything to protect my secret, but murder is a step too far and I refuse to take the life of another for my own selfish gain._

_I don’t want my secret getting out and I don’t want to be part of this killing game anymore. I can’t bare it. So, I’m giving you my life in sacrifice. This is something I want to do. I hope that my death can bring an end to this motive._

_No matter what Monokuma says, you must vote for me as the blackened at my own class trial. I assure you this is legitimate and if you choose anyone else, he’s going to punish you._

_I hope my life is not being given in vein. I want you all to succeed, to make it out of here alive._

_Yours truly,_

_Tenko Chabashira._

Shuichi was completely stunned. “I...I don’t know what to say…”

“I bet you weren’t expecting that,” Ryoma said.

“It...it just doesn’t make sense,” Shuichi muttered, as he scratched his head from underneath his hat. “Tenko hasn’t killed herself. So, what’s this note doing down here?”

“I’ll tell you what I think,” Ryoma said, offering his opinion. “Somethin’ about this is off. I don’t trust it.”

“Nor do I,” Shuichi agreed. “I mean, Tenko told us her secret at Confession Club. She was open about it and it wasn’t even that bad. So...the contents of this letter just don’t make any sense.”

“Unless she was lying, of course,” Ryoma said. “But I dunno, even the way that this note is written, it doesn’t sound like Tenko. It sounds like someone’s impression of Tenko.”

“We need to speak to her about it.” Shuichi decided, as he pocketed the note to take with him. “This feels too out of character to ignore.”

“Do you know where she is?” Ryoma asked. “Or will this have to wait for the trial?”

“She’s in Himiko’s lab with Kaede,” Shuichi replied. “I’d like to speak to her now, since we have time. If this letter is true, it doesn’t seem very fair to discuss in front of everyone in the trial.”

Accompanied by Ryoma, Shuichi returned to Himiko’s lab, where Kaede and Tenko were still investigating the crime scene.

“Oh, hi you two,” Kaede greeted the boys, surprised by their presence. “How’s the investigation been going?”

“Alright, thank you, but I don’t really have the time to talk about that right now,” Shuichi said, apologetically cutting Kaede short. “Tenko, Ryoma and I need to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?” Tenko frowned. “What have you degenerates been up to?”

“Ryoma found something in the basement...which is apparently yours,” Shuichi said, as he fished the piece of paper out of his pocket. He hesitated before passing it to Tenko. “Is it?”

Tenko took the note and quickly skimmed over what it said. “That’s not mine!” she scoffed.

“Do you promise?” Shuichi asked, seeking confirmation. “I won’t judge you at all if it is. But this could be an important clue if it really is fake.”

“Shuichi, it’s not mine,” Tenko insisted, her reaction seemingly genuine. “The handwriting is far too neat. And I don’t talk like that!”

“We thought as much,” Shuichi said. “I just wanted to be sure.”

“It seems like someone’s trying to impersonate you,” Ryoma added.

“Can I see this note?” Kaede asked.

Tenko passed it over to her. “I definitely didn’t write that. Besides, I already told you guys my secret at Confession Club!”

“Wow,” Kaede gasped, as she finished reading the note. “That’s a pretty nasty thing to fake. Why would someone do that?!”

“I have no idea,” Tenko shrugged. “Actually...! That writing does look familiar. But I can’t think of where I’ve seen it.”

“If you could remember, that would be really useful,” Shuichi said. “We need to get to the bottom of who wrote this.”

“Wait,” Tenko gasped. “T-that’s Himiko’s writing!”

“Himiko’s?” a shocked Kaede replied.

“Y-yes!” Tenko said, her voice trembling. “She gave me a note this morning. It's the exact same handwriting!”

“A note! What did it say?” Shuichi asked, with keen interest. "Could I see it please?"

“Sure, I still have it,” Tenko said. She bent over and reached into her bloodied left sock, from which she retrieved a piece of paper. “It’s in here for safe keeping.” she unfolded the note and passed it to Shuichi.

Shuichi tried to ignore the fact the paper was warm, and read the note had to say.

_To Tenko,_

_I’m really sorry for excluding you from my magic show rehearsals. I would like for you to be my second assistant. If you’re interested, meet me in the library at 2:30 pm and we can discuss the plan._

_See you then,_

_Himiko._

“Tenko, I don’t wanna suggest anything, but it almost seems like Himiko was trying to trap you…” Shuichi said.

“N-no,” Tenko protested. “Himiko would never do that!”

“This note wasn’t the only thing down in the basement,” Shuichi elaborated. “There was also a large kitchen knife.”

“That must be a coincidence.” Tenko shook her head in denial.

“The two objects were right next to each other,” Shuichi informed her.

“It does seem a little strange,” Kaede agreed. “If Himiko wanted you to practise magic with her, why did she suggest the library and not her lab?”

“There must’ve been a reason,” Tenko insisted. “Maybe there was a spellbook down there that she wanted to show me.”

Shuichi decided not to push it any further. Tenko was clearly very upset; after all, she had just lost one of her closest friends. He couldn’t ignore the coincidence of the situation, but he would wait until the class trial to mention it again.

Much to Shuichi’s surprise, Monokuma was yet to call the dreaded class trial, meaning he had more time than he’d expected to investigate. His next port of call was to visit the dining hall. Not only to check up on Tsumugi, but to confirm if one of the kitchen knives were missing, so he could identify it as the one from the basement.

“Anyway, I best get going,” Shuichi announced. “I’ll catch up with you all later.”

In the dining hall, Tsumugi was nursing a glass of water at the table, with Keebo sat beside her. Shuichi joined them.

“Hello, Shuichi,” Keebo greeted him.

“Hi guys,” Shuichi replied. “Tsumugi, how are you feeling?”

Tsumugi managed a small smile. “I feel a bit better, thank you.”

“That’s good to hear,” Shuichi smiled back, relieved that Tsumugi was making progress. “Make sure you take it easy during the class trial too, okay?”

“Thank you, Shuichi,” Tsumugi said gratefully.

“How’s the investigation going?” Keebo asked.

“I think it’s going well,” Shuichi replied. “It’s hard to say at this point, but everyone’s working really hard to collect evidence.”

“I feel plain awful that I can’t join in,” Tsumugi said. “Himiko was my best friend and I can’t even help catch her killer.”

“Don’t worry about that, Tsumugi,” Shuichi insisted. “You were attacked. These are special circumstances.”

“Is there anything at all I can do to help?” Tsumugi asked, desperate to participate.

“Well, if you wouldn’t mind, could you tell me the details of your attack again?” Shuichi requested. “I promise that I was listening earlier, but I was also struggling with the shock of it all, so I don’t quite remember everything.”

Tsumugi nodded. “Of course, it’s the least I can do.”

Shuichi listened with eager ears.

“Himiko and I had been rehearsing magic tricks together,” Tsumugi began. “I needed the toilet, so I left Himiko in the lab and went by myself. Everything seemed normal at this point. I returned from the toilets and was literally right outside of Himiko’s lab. I remember grabbing the door handle to enter, but then everything went black.”

“So, someone attacked you before you even got the chance to go inside,” Shuichi muttered, taking in the details.

“I suppose they must have been lurking, waiting to grab me,” Tsumugi speculated. “Or maybe they followed me from behind. I’m not really sure, to be honest.”

“And you never suspected that anyone was following you?” Shuichi asked.

Tsumugi shook her head. “No. I was so focused on getting back to Himiko to practise more magic, that I never noticed a thing.”

“Your attacker could have just been very good at sneaking,” Keebo pointed out.

“Well thank you, Tsumugi. This information is really helpful,” Shuichi said. “Oh, actually, there’s something else that I’ve been meaning to ask you! You know that sword trick in Himiko’s lab, do you know how it works?”

“Of course,” Tsumugi replied. “We practised it together many times.”

“Great! Can you tell me?” Shuichi asked. “Himiko was stabbed to death with one of those swords, so I want to learn everything I possibly can about that trick.”

“I...I don’t know if I should tell you,” Tsumugi hesitated. “Himiko made me swear that I wouldn’t share her tricks with anyone else. It’s the rules of the Secret Circle.”

“I’m only asking because it could assist the case,” Shuichi reassured her. “I promise, that if you tell me, I will only use this information for the class trial, and never speak of it again.”

“Well…” Tsumugi paused, weighing up her decision. “I suppose if it’s going to help catch Himiko’s killer, then the magicians in the Secret Circle wouldn’t mind me telling you.”

Shuichi was relieved that she’d made a sensible decision. “Thank you, Tsumugi. I’d like to know more about those swords. Are they all real?”

“All of the swords are real,” Tsumugi nodded. “That’s why the trick takes so much practise. Himiko steps into the box and I place a cloth over it, so the audience can’t see her. Then, I stab the swords into the box, so the audience thinks that Himiko has been impaled. Next, I remove the swords one by one, and take off the cloth, to reveal that Himiko is alive and well.”

“That sounds risky,” Shuichi raised his brow.

“Not really,” Tsumugi replied. “The swords go in the same place every single time. Himiko has perfected her routine, so she bends into lots of different positions. For example, if I place a sword in the top half of the box, she ducks.”

“I see,” Shuichi said. “Since you put the swords in the same place every time, Himiko knows what to expect.”

“Exactly,” Tsumugi nodded. “Did my information help you?”

“Sort of,” Shuichi smiled. “I just wanted to make sure there was no special secret to the trick that I should be aware of. But, it seems to me that the trick is based on routine.”

As they were talking, Kokichi entered the room. He headed straight to the adjoining kitchen, and Shuichi heard the distinct sound of the fridge being opened. A few seconds later, Kokichi returned, armed with a grape soda. He sat down on one of the chairs, put his feet up on the table, opened his can with a satisfied sigh.

“Kokichi,” Shuichi frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Relaxin’, chillin’,” Kokichi replied. “What about you?”

“I’m investigating, like you should be too,” Shuichi said. “I don’t want to nag you, but we’re about to face a class trial.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve already solved it,” Kokichi said, as he took a swig from his can.

“Y-you have?!” Tsumugi exclaimed.

“Yup,” Kokichi nodded confidently.

“So...who did it then?” Shuichi asked, almost certain that Kokichi was lying.

“Soz, I can’t tell you that,” Kokichi smirked. “You know the drill, Shuichi. I’d never just tell you; that’s boring.”

“Our lives are on the line, Kokichi,” Shuichi pointed out, his tone serious.

“All the more to play for then!” Kokichi grinned.

Shuichi gritted his teeth and reminded himself that Kokichi was probably lying anyway. 

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” Tsumugi asked Shuichi.

“Not that I can think of, thank you,” Shuichi replied. “There’s something in the kitchen I need to do, actually.”

Having spoken to Tsumugi, Shuichi got up from the dining table and headed into the kitchen, to check up on the knife situation. Kokichi followed him into the room, loudly guzzling his soda.

“What you up to, Shuichi?” Kokichi nosed. “Making a snack? I’ll have whatever you’re having!”

“I’m not here for the food,” Shuichi corrected him. “In the library, Ryoma found a large kitchen knife, accompanied by a suicide note. I’m here to see whether any of the knives are missing.”

“A suicide note?” Kokichi repeated. “Who’s?”

“Tenko’s,” Shuichi said. “But she’s certain, as are we, that someone else has faked it on her behalf.”

“Huh, well that’s interesting,” Kokichi remarked. “This class trial is gonna have so many layers. I can’t wait!”

Instead of wasting his time responding, Shuichi approached the knife stand on the kitchen counter. Sure enough, the biggest knife was missing from the block.

“The knife most definitely came from here,” Shuichi concluded.

“Does that tell you who took it?” Kokichi asked.

“No,” Shuichi replied. “But, that’s not why I’m here. I wanted to be certain of its original location.”

Having seen everything that he needed, Shuichi left the kitchen and returned to the dining hall. In the time he’d been gone, Miu had appeared and was lingering in the doorway, arms folded. As soon as she set eyes on Shuichi, she raised her voice. “There you are!”

“M-me?” Shuichi replied.

Miu stormed across the dining hall until she was right up in his face. “Just when I thought that you couldn’t get any more disgusting!” she spat, as she jabbed her index finger on his shoulder.

“Jeez Shuichi, what have you done now?” Kokichi raised his brow.

“N-nothing...that I know of,” a very confused Shuichi insisted.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” Miu retorted. “I have a nose like a bloodhound when it comes to sniffing out pervs.”

“W-what are you even accusing me of?” Shuichi stammered, under pressure from Miu’s glare.

“You know what you’ve done!” Miu growled.

“I-I really don’t,” Shuichi objected. “Just tell me.”

“Follow me, and I’ll show you,” Miu said. She grabbed Shuichi by the wrist and began to drag him out of the dining hall.

“Ow!” Shuichi complained, as he pulled free from Miu’s grasp. “I’m capable of walking by myself.”

Kokichi followed after the pair, enjoying the drama. Meanwhile, Tsumugi and Keebo stayed put at the table. Shuichi didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye.

Miu said nothing during their walk, so Kokichi filled the silence by speculating about all the pervy things Shuichi might have done. It was too disgusting to repeat. 

It became obvious pretty quickly where Miu was taking them: the gymnasium. She thrust open the double doors and waited impatiently for Shuichi to explain himself.

It took Shuichi a few seconds to properly understand what was going on, but he soon figured out what Miu was accusing him of. The fourteen mannequins were still lined up in a row, except, two of them were now totally naked...Kaede and Tenko’s.

“Well?” Miu pressed. “What did you do with their clothes, you sicko?”

It wasn’t just their clothes, their wigs were missing too.

“This is the first I’m seeing of this,” Shuichi insisted.

“Yeah right!” Miu scoffed. “I bet you used their outfits as some kind of cum rag.”

Shuichi tried not to retch. “Miu, that’s foul.”

Kokichi joined in. “Yeah Miu! You’re like an animal with rabies; pure filth.”

“Shuichi’s the animal here, not me,” Miu snapped.

“I-I didn’t take their clothes!” Shuichi insisted. “The mannequins were fully dressed during Confession Club, and I haven’t been alone since then.”

“Hmmm,” Miu looked him up and down. “Then maybe you are innocent. But whoever did this must’ve been inspired by your pervy ways.”

Shuichi would have appreciated an apology, but he knew that he wasn’t going to get one. Despite Miu’s rude accusation, Shuichi was glad that she’d shown him the naked mannequins, as they could be a clue. Why would someone want the clothes of Kaede and Tenko?

_*Ding Dong, Bing Bong*_

Before Shuichi could theorise any further, the announcement chimed and the monitor came to life.

“The time has come! Get your asses over to the Shrine of Judgement,” Monokuma instructed, through the glass screen. “The class trial is about to begin.”

Shuichi sighed, disappointed that he couldn’t investigate the missing clothes further. “He really does call the trial whenever he feels like it.”

Shuichi walked to the Shrine of Judgement with Miu and Kokichi. Miu spent the entire journey talking about herself and Kokichi was busy finishing off his can of grape soda, which he discarded in a nearby bush. They were the last three students to arrive. Shuichi was pleased to see Tsumugi back on her feet and noticed she’d regained some of the colour in her face.

“Are you still doing alright, Tsumugi?” Shuichi asked, aware that it was important to monitor her condition.

“Yes,” Tsumugi replied. “And despite what you said earlier, I’m determined to participate in this class trial. I’m doing it for Himiko.”

Tenko shot her a smile. “You and me both.”

As Shuichi looked around at his classmates, he realised what a difference two victims made. It might not sound like much, but there were only twelve ultimates left, and that number was about to drop even more, no matter what the outcome.

“Shuichi,” Maki said, calling for his attention. “I need to speak to you about something.”

Shuichi realised that he hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to Maki during the investigation. She was the only person that he’d missed. Knowing her, she’d probably wasted the time outside of her lab. “What is it?”

“I have some evidence to show you,” Maki shared. She picked up a plastic carrier bag from the floor, which Shuichi hadn’t noticed until now, and passed it over to him.

“What’s in here?” Shuichi asked curiously as he peered inside the bag. From a first glance, he could make out some kind of material. In order to gain a better understanding, he reached inside. As soon as his hand came into contact with the contents of the bag, he let out an uncomfortable groan. “Ugh, it’s soaking wet!”

“It will be,” Maki replied. “I found it in the toilet.”

“W-what?!” Shuichi cried in disgust. “This was in the toilet?! Why didn’t you tell me first?”

“It’s important you see what’s inside,” Maki said.

“You want me to continue touching this?!” Shuichi exclaimed, aware that he wasn’t going to get an opportunity to wash his hands before the trial.

“For the sake of the investigation, yes.” Maki insisted.

Kokichi watched on, sniggering. “Nee-hee-hee! Shuichi’s touching bog water.”

Shuichi took a calming deep breath before diving his hand into the bag again. He wanted to collect as much evidence as possible, so he had to be strong. Ignoring the disgusting sensation against his fingers, he retrieved a blue ruffled skirt and a pair of white knee-high socks.

“What is it?” Keebo asked.

Before Shuichi got the chance to reply, Tenko jumped in. “H-hey! Those are my clothes!”

“Oh, so that’s where I recognise them from,” Tsumugi gasped.

Shuichi continued to retrieve items from inside the bag. Next came Tenko’s top, accompanied by a lilac vest and a white shirt.

“W-wait a minute…” Kaede pointed. “Those are my clothes!”

At the bottom of the bag, Shuichi found the rest of Kaede’s outfit, as well as two wigs which mimicked the hairstyles of the girls.

“How did someone get my clothes?”! Tenko frowned. “I keep my room locked at all times.”

“They’re from the mannequins in the gym,” Shuichi informed her. “Miu showed me earlier; yours are both completely naked.”

“Someone took our clothes?” Kaede narrowed her brow. “But...why?”

“One of the boys did it, with a pervy motive in mind,” Miu said.

“Of course it was one of the degenerates!” Tenko exclaimed.

“Uh Tenko, that's just Miu's theory…” Shuichi objected.

“And Maki, you say you found these in the toilets?” Kaede asked, turning to face her.

“That’s right,” Maki nodded. “I went to the girls' bathroom on the first floor and noticed that it was flooded. The source of the flood was coming from one particular cubicle. I looked inside to see what the problem was, and saw this bag of clothes inside the bowl.”

“It sounds like someone was trying to flush it away but failed,” Rantaro said.

“Hang on a minute, there’s no way this story is true,” Kokichi butted in. “Maki never leaves her lab. What was she doing on the first floor?”

“If you must know, I needed to use the toilet before the trial,” Maki revealed, somewhat reluctantly.

Shuichi had no reason to doubt her, since Maki was only human.

Before they could discuss this strange clue any further, the Monokuma statue in the fountain started to rumble. This was it, the time for the class trial had come. Just like before, the water parted ways, revealing a secret elevator.

Shuichi abandoned the bag of dirty clothes and stepped into the elevator with his friends. The double doors shut and the elevator began its descent. Shuichi took a deep breath to prepare himself mentally; everything was about to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The class trial will be out very shortly! In the meantime, it's time to make your final bets on who you think the killer/killers might be ;)


	12. The Second Class Trial (2.6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is possibly the longest chapter I've ever written, so get your snacks ready lol! I've been working on this class trial for months, so I'm a bit nervous to post it, but I hope you enjoy!

In complete silence, the students made their way to their podiums  - a place they had stood once before. Waiting for the trial to begin, Shuichi glanced around the courtroom, taking in its latest changes. Three memorial portraits stood in place of Angie, Himiko, and Korekiyo. Each one had an exaggerated X painted over their face.

Shuichi could feel his palms beginning to sweat. The last trial had been extremely difficult, with Angie trying to convince everyone to commit suicide. Who knew what this trial had in store for him? To make matters worse, Shuichi was dealing with a double murder, which only made things more complicated. However, with the guidance of his friends, he felt better about exposing the truth. If they put their minds together, perhaps this trial could be solved.

“Trial in session, let us begin!” Monokuma called out, his menacing voice echoing throughout the room. “Let’s begin with a basic explanation of the class trials…”

Monokuma recited the exact same speech as before. Shuichi listened intently, just in case the bear had snuck in a hidden rule change, but he wasn’t playing any tricks on them. Even though Shuichi already knew the rules, it was nice to be reminded, as it gave him a moment to collect himself and take a deep breath.

“Remember! Refusing to vote for somebody will result in your death, so you better choose someone!” Monokuma taunted, bringing his speech to a close. “Now, it’s time for the real fun to begin! Let’s get this crazy, awesome trial on the road!”

Monokuma had said his piece, meaning it was time for the students to start talking. The class trial had really begun. If they didn’t put their brains together, the double murder might never be solved…

“Here we are...again…” Kaede said softly. “I was really hoping we’d never have to face another one of these.” she exhaled a deep sigh.

“Which idiot had to go and fuckin’ murder people?” Miu scowled. "I don't wanna be stuck in this godawful, musty room with you lot."

“The quicker we solve this trial, the quicker you’ll get out of here,” Rantaro pointed out. “But the longer you pointlessly rant, the longer we’ll remain.”

“Let’s not waste any time,” Keebo said. “We should get to the cases at hand.”

“Before we begin, I think it’s a good idea to remind ourselves that this trial is going to be slightly different from the last one,” Shuichi stated. “We’re dealing with a double murder.”

“And Tsumugi’s attacker,” Gonta mentioned.

“Since Tsumugi survived her attack, her attacker isn’t who we need to identify,” Shuichi explained. “Well, unless her attacker happens to be the same person who killed Korekiyo and Himiko.”

“This might be the work of one very sick person,” Rantaro agreed.

‘Or, this could be the work of two different people,” Kaito said. “Killer A murdered Himiko and attacked Tsumugi, whilst Killer B killed Korekiyo.”

“That’s presuming the person who killed Himiko attacked Tsumugi,” Kaede said. “They might be completely different people.”

“There are so many possibilities,” Tsumugi gulped. “How are we ever going to solve this?”

“Tsumugi, before we begin, are you still feeling alright?” Shuichi asked. 

Tsumugi nodded. “I think I'll be fine.”

"That's good," Shuichi smiled, before returning to the topic at hand. “So, we have to identify all of the possible killers in this case if we want to pass the trial. That means-”

Monokuma interrupted him before he got the chance to finish his sentence. “No, you don’t.”

“Huh?” Shuichi frowned.

“The early bird catches the worm! You only have to identify the blackened of the first victim,” Monokuma shared. “The rest is irrelevant.”

“Wait, what?!” Kaito exclaimed. “Why did no one tell us this before?”

“I sent the Monokubs to tell you,” Monokuma replied. “They must’ve gotten distracted.”

“Yeah right,” Miu scoffed. “You lied to us on purpose.”

“I didn't lie,” Monokuma replied in a haughty fashion. “You lot just didn’t ask!”

“How were we supposed to know to ask?” Kaito objected.

“So, what you’re saying is…” Shuichi clarified. “We only need to identify the killer who murdered first?"

“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” Monokuma snapped. “You’re such a parrot sometimes, Shuichi.”

“So then, we need to solve the mystery behind Korekiyo’s murder,” Kokichi said. “I wonder what happened to him...poor guy…”

Shuichi frowned. Why was Kokichi implying that Korekiyo had died first? As it currently stood, no one knew what order the deaths had occurred. In fact, who died first was probably the biggest mystery surrounding the cases. Was Kokichi trying to manipulate everyone so he could ruin the trial? Shuichi had to interrupt before things got out of hand.

"Hold on!" Shuichi exclaimed. “Kokichi, why are you focusing on Korekiyo?”

“Get with the program, Shuichi,” Kokichi replied. “It’s cuz he died first, duh!”

“We don’t know who died first, but I think you already know that,” Shuichi said disapprovingly.

“Is he lying already?” Kaito sighed.

“I’m not lying!” Kokichi retorted. “Here, I’ll even prove it! Anyone who saw Korekiyo’s body before Himiko's, raise your hand.”

Upon Kokichi’s instructions, several hands went up. Shuichi, Tenko, and Tsumugi were the only ones who kept their arms by their sides.

“See!” Kokichi grinned smugly.

“God Pooichi!” Miu scorned. “For a detective, you're pretty fuckin' stupid."

“Korekiyo’s body discover alarm sounded first,” Keebo contributed. “Making him the first victim.”

“Actually, that proves nothing,” Shuichi said. He turned to Tenko for some assistance. “Tenko, when we walked in on Himiko’s body...what came over the speakers?”

“The...the body discovery alarm,” Tenko replied. “Korekiyo’s one. We didn't realise at first, but it called us to the swimming pool.”

“Exactly!” Shuichi said. “We were with Himiko’s body when Korekiyo’s BDA sounded. That’s proof that Himiko had already died when you found Korekiyo, which means he didn’t necessarily die first. You just found him first.”

“Remember, three people, not including the killer, must find the body to trigger the BDA,” Rantaro recapped. “Myself, Kaede, and Kaito were at the swimming pool, so that triggered Korekiyo’s BDA. Tenko and Shuichi were alone, so they needed one more person.”

“Wasn’t Tsumugi there?” Maki asked.

“Tsumugi was outside of the room,” Shuichi explained. “She could barely move because of her concussion, so she didn't actually witness Himiko's body.”

“Wow, it took you guys long enough to figure that out!” Kokichi laughed. “It's _sooooo_ obvious that we don't know who died first.”

“But you said-” Kaito protested.

Kokichi cut him short. “I was lying, _obviously_.”

“I need to get out of here,” Miu growled, her patience wearing thin.

“We better start working together, then,” Rantaro remarked.

“Is there any information in the Monokuma Files about the times of their deaths?” Keebo asked, trying to be helpful.

“Geez, Keeboy!” Kokichi exclaimed. “Have the gears in your brain rusted? What a stupid comment! Monokuma wouldn’t be that dumb.”

“Uh...as Kokichi was trying to say, there’s no information in the Monokuma Files about the times of the deaths,” Shuichi said.

“It makes sense now why Monokuma kept that from us,” Kaede realised.

“Dammit!” Kaito ranted. “Monokuma knows exactly what information we need and hides it from us.”

“There wouldn’t be much of a class trial without it, I suppose,” Tsumugi sighed.

"For now, there's nothing much we can really do," Rantaro said. "We'll have to look at some of the other evidence instead."

“Since we don’t know who died first, we need to handle this as two separate cases,” Shuichi said. “If we can solve both murders, as well as Tsumugi’s attack, we should be able to find out whether we’re looking for one killer or two, as well as who struck first.”

“That’s easier said than done…” Ryoma muttered.

“Right, let’s start with Korekiyo’s murder,” Kaito said, taking charge. “Recapping the obvious here, but Korekiyo was found in the swimming pool.”

“The Monokuma File confirmed this to be the location where he died,” Rantaro added.

"Three of us found him: me, Rantaro, and Kaito," Kaede said.

"We went to the pool to pass on a message, when the BDA sounded," Kaito shared, recapping the events. "I saw Korekiyo floating in the water, but...but...the way he was, I thought was still alive and drowning. I jumped into the pool to rescue him, but it wasn’t until I brought him to the surface that I realised it was too late.”

“What else do we know about Korekiyo’s death?” Tenko asked. “I never got the chance to see his Monokuma File.”

“According to the file, his cause of death is drowning,” Shuichi informed her. “And he also sustained a head injury.”

“This wasn’t in the file, but there were scratch marks all over his face as well,” Rantaro added. “His mouth mask had fallen off in the water, leaving his entire face exposed.”

“I see,” Tenko said, taking a moment to reflect on the information she’d just been told. “Maybe the killer pushed Korekiyo into the pool, and from the side, they held him under the water. Korekiyo tried to resist, but the killer fought harder, which is where the scratches come from.”

“That’s an interesting theory,” Shuichi said. “But I don’t think that’s possible. The sides of the pool are significantly higher than the water level. There’s no way someone could’ve lent over the edge and tried to drown him.”

“Besides,” Kaito said. “That doesn’t account for the head injury.”

“That’s true,” Tsumugi mused. “But how does someone get a head injury _and_ drown? Was the killer being overly cautious?”

“They’re probably some kind of sadist,” Miu theorised.

Shuichi strongly disagreed. “Actually, I believe Korekiyo’s head injury is what caused him to drown.”

“Are you suggesting his brain filled with water?” Kokichi sniggered. “Because c’mon! That’s ridiculous.”

“No,” Shuichi shook his head. “I think Korekiyo’s head injury caused him to fall unconscious. Unconscious in the water, he drowned.”

“Oh, that would make sense!” Kaede agreed. “But wait, does that mean he already had the head injury when he got into the pool?”

“Surely you wouldn’t get a head injury and then go swimming?” Miu narrowed her brow. “That’s fuckin’ stupid. Anyone _that_ dumb deserves to die.”

“It sounds like natural selection at work,” Kokichi agreed.

“I don’t think Korekiyo was in the pool because he’d been swimming,” Shuichi replied. “I could be wrong, but what if the killer hit Korekiyo over the head with something, resulting in his head injury, and then pushed him into the pool?”

Kaede considered this theory. “If the injury was bad enough, Korekiyo might have already passed out before he even hit the water.”

“Exactly,” Shuichi said. “Unconscious, he had no idea that he was in such grave danger.”

“That makes sense,” Ryoma agreed. “It also makes things easier for the killer; they just have to get Korekiyo into the water, they don’t have to drown him.”

“It would also explain why the pool was filled with blood,” Kaito added. "Since Korekiyo would've been bleeding out in the water." 

“That being said, it does leave us with some unanswered questions,” Shuichi said, addressing the flaws in his own theory. “What did the killer hit Korekiyo over the head with? How did they lure him to the swimming pool? And why is his face covered in scratches?”

“That’s a fair few questions we still need to answer,” Keebo noticed. “Are you sure this theory is correct?”

“I’ve got another theory,” Maki put forward. “What if Korekiyo was swimming and the killer snuck up on him? We already know the sides of the pool are too high, so maybe they threw something at his head, which knocked him unconscious.”

“Like what?” Ryoma asked.

“Anything hard enough to do damage,” Maki elaborated. “For example, there are shot put balls in the warehouse. They would do the job.”

“I suppose if the killer had a good aim, they could have easily hit Korekiyo from the sidelines,” Tsumugi said, in support of Maki's theory.

“That would explain how the killer got Korekiyo to visit the swimming pool; Korekiyo was voluntarily there himself,” Keebo said.

“I don’t wanna rain on your parade, Maki, but I don’t think this theory is the one,” Rantaro disagreed. “At the pool party, Korekiyo didn’t get in the water once. I suspect he’s not much of a swimmer.”

“Yeah that’s true,” Kaito noted. “I’ve never seen Korekiyo use the pool.”

Maki shrugged. “Just because you personally haven’t seen him use it, we can’t conclude that as the truth.”

“But that’s the thing, no one here has ever seen Korekiyo go swimming,” Rantaro said. “So the killer couldn’t have crafted a plan to kill Korekiyo in the water. Meaning, the attack couldn’t have been premeditated. It must’ve been a spur of the moment thing, which doesn’t make sense either, if the killer supposedly was carrying around some kind of heavy object.”

“I think we need to rule this theory out,” Shuichi said. “Sorry Maki, but there are too many inconsistencies.”

Maki said nothing.

“So...we’re back to our original theory?” Tenko asked. “That the killer hit Korekiyo over the head and pushed him into the water?”

“That seems the most plausible,” Shuichi replied. “Unless anyone else has a different idea?” he looked around the group for feedback.

Miu confidently raised her hand. “I do!”

“Go ahead, Miu,” Shuichi encouraged her. Miu wasn’t always the most sensible person, but all theories were helpful during the class trial.

“Well, what if Korekiyo’s death was one big accident?” Miu put forward. “The dumb creep slipped into the water.”

“That’s not a very nice way to speak about the dead, Miu…” Tsumugi objected.

“How would Korekiyo have gotten the head injury if he slipped?” Kaito asked.

“Duh, he cracked it open on the bottom of the pool!” Miu said. “Y’know, like on the tiles.”

“Oh, you mean like if he fell into the shallow end?” Kaito followed up.

“That’s what I said,” Miu rolled her eyes.

“Uh, no, you didn’t,” Kaito argued.

“Please excuse my ignorance, but I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to water-related activities,” Keebo said. “Why would falling into the shallow end result in a head injury?”

“It’s because there’s less water to catch a person’s fall,” Rantaro explained. “If you jump in the deep end, you’re unlikely to reach the bottom of the pool, since you’ll very quickly return to the surface. But in the shallow end, there’s much less distance between you and the tiles.”

“It’s really dangerous to jump into the shallow end,” Tsumugi agreed. “It’s something my parents always warned me about.”

"They’re right," Shuichi joined in. “It’s like during Miu’s swimming lesson when she slipped and-”

Miu interrupted him. “It was all Kokichi’s fault!”

“It doesn’t matter who’s fault it was,” Shuichi said. “My point is, at the time, I remember being exceptionally glad that you happened to fall into the deep end. Otherwise, Miu, you could’ve really hurt yourself.”

“So maybe that’s what happened to Korekiyo!” Tenko speculated.

“Without much water to catch his fall, Korekiyo most certainly could’ve cracked open his head on the pool tiles,” Kaede agreed. “I could also imagine him slipping into the pool by accident, since the area surrounding it is always so wet.”

Shuichi knew this oh too well, since he had fallen over himself during the investigation. 

“And that lines up with what we discussed earlier,” Rantaro said. “Korekiyo hit his head, fell unconscious, and drowned as a result.”

“Ha! Told you I’d solved it,” Miu bragged, radiating smugness. “You all better worship me for saving your asses.”

“Maybe this isn’t a double murder after all,” Keebo said. “Just a murder, an attack, and an unfortunate accident.”

“If Korekiyo didn’t wear those ugly boots, then maybe he wouldn’t have slipped,” Kokichi remarked.

“You can’t talk,” Tenko scoffed. “You’re wearing a straight jacket!”

Gonta returned to the theory at hand, “If this accident, why Korekiyo have scratches on his face?”

“Shut up you stupid ape!” Miu snapped. “Stop trying to shit all over my theory. We’ve already solved what happened to Korekiyo.”

“Oh...oh we have?” Gonta’s face fell. “Gonta sorry. Gonta been trying to keep up. Honest.”

“Gonta, don’t apologise; you’ve done nothing wrong,” Tsumugi insisted. “You actually make a very good point.”

“Ah, yes, the scratches...” Shuichi frowned, now back at square one. "I don't think this could’ve been an accident after all.”

The light reappeared in Gonta’s eyes. “Gonta help?”

“Yes,” Shuichi nodded. “Thank you for reminding us, Gonta. We almost went down the wrong path.”

“You don’t have to rub it in,” Miu huffed.

“There has to be a person involved for Korekiyo to have those scratches,” Shuichi said. “It means, it’s very unlikely that this was an accident after all.”

“Korekiyo was kind of a freak,” Kokichi pointed out. “Maybe he just scratched himself? Y’know, for the pleasure.”

Shuichi ignored Kokichi’s ridiculous theory.

“Actually, wasn’t there a secret on Korekiyo’s mannequin relating to some marks on his skin?” Tenko contributed. “That could explain it!”

“The secret suggests that Korekiyo is covered in severe burns; the result of being caught in a fire which he started,” Rantaro recapped. “What we saw were definitely scratches, not burns.”

“We searched Korekiyo’s entire body and there were no burns at all,” Shuichi said. “So during the investigation, we concluded that to be one of his two lies.”

“Then...that means we can narrow down his truth!” Tenko exclaimed.

“What were his other two potential secrets?” Keebo asked.

“One accused him of being the mole. The other, a serial killer,” Rantaro informed him.

“So either way he’s an evil psychopath,” Miu remarked.

“Hey, we shouldn’t judge,” Kaito said. “We don’t know the story behind Korekiyo’s secret.”

“He should’ve stayed at Confession Club and told us then,” Tenko said, displaying no signs of sympathy.

“How are we going to figure out which one of Korekiyo’s secrets are true?” Keebo asked. “I can’t think of a solution myself.”

“We can’t,” Shuichi said. “Unless Korekiyo told somebody, we’d only be guessing. That being said, I don’t think it really matters which secret is true.”

“But what if Korekiyo’s secret is the reason he got killed?” Keebo put forward.

“Both secrets are bad, so I can imagine Korekiyo being killed for either or,” Shuichi replied.

“So, back to what actually happened to Korekiyo, I reckon he was pushed into the shallow end by the killer,” Ryoma said. “He smacked his head against the bottom of the pool, which knocked him unconscious. Then, the killer left him in the water to drown.”

“That’s what I said!” Miu barked. “Stop trying to steal credit for my work.”

“Ryoma’s theory is slightly different to yours,” Rantaro corrected her. “He’s suggesting that someone pushed Korekiyo into the water, instead of Korekiyo falling in by accident.”

“If Korekiyo fought with the killer before falling into the pool, that would explain the scratches,” Kaito nodded in agreement.

“That’s so evil,” Tsumugi shuddered.

“We’ve been talking about Korekiyo’s murder quite a lot,” Maki said. “Maybe now would be a good time to discuss Himiko’s, to see if there are any connections between the two cases.”

“That’s a good idea,” Shuichi nodded. “I think first, we should recap the basic details, for anyone who wasn’t present to read her Monokuma File.”

Kaede shared what she knew. “Himiko was killed in her lab. Her cause of death was a puncture to a vital organ.”

“We found a sword in Himiko’s back,” Shuichi informed them. “Which is most definitely the murder weapon.”

“Thankfully, if it’s any consolation, Himiko’s death was instant,” Kaede added gently. “So, she didn’t suffer from any pain.”

“Where did someone find a sword around here?!” Kokichi exclaimed. “I thought we were limited to boring weapons only, like knives.”

“The sword came from Himiko’s lab,” Kaede informed him. “It was part of one of her tricks.”

“It sounds like a painful way to go,” Kaito winced.

“I’m glad for Himiko’s sake that her death was instant…” Tenko admitted, as she lowered her head.

“Since she was stabbed in the back, I presume this must’ve been a surprise attack?” Maki said.

“Most likely,” Shuichi nodded.

“And Tsumugi, where were you when all of this was happening?” Maki asked, following up with a second question.

“Well, I’m not sure if I was attacked before or after Himiko was killed,” Tsumugi replied. “If it was after her death, then I was in the toilets. If it was before, then I was already unconscious in the hallway.”

“Tsumugi was attacked before she was able to reenter the lab,” Shuichi said. “So there’s no way of telling what order things happened in.”

“We still have to figure out whether Himiko’s killer is the same person as Tsumugi’s attacker,” Keebo put forward, providing them with a topic of conversation.

“Having thought about it, I’m beginning to suspect that it  _is_  the same person,” Rantaro said, making a bold claim. “It seems almost impossible for someone to have attacked Tsumugi in the hall, whilst someone else murdered Himiko in her lab. They would’ve, most likely, crossed paths.”

“That’s true,” Shuichi nodded, impressed by Rantaro’s reasoning.

“What if it were a pair of accomplices?” Miu said.

“I doubt it,” Rantaro shook his head. “There’s nothing in the rules about two killers being able to graduate. So, it’s pointless working together with somebody.”

“Do you have any idea what time you were attacked, Tsumugi?” Maki asked.

Tsumugi shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t. We weren’t keeping track of time. I’m not even sure how much time passed between my attack and Shuichi and Tenko finding me.”

“Tsumugi, your attack involves a head injury, right?” Kaito asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” Tsumugi replied.

“Oh!” Gonta exclaimed. “Same as Korekiyo!”

“Yeah, surely Tsumugi’s attacker and Korekiyo’s killer are the same person,” Kokichi said. “They have some kind of head fetish.”

“Not necessarily,” Shuichi began, ready to object.

Kokichi interrupted him. “Oh, so you think they’ve got a different kind of fetish then? Feet? BDSM? Or maybe it’s pis-”

“Kokichi,” Shuichi frowned. “You know that’s not what I meant.” He didn’t enjoy wasting time on Kokichi’s annoying antics. “As I was trying to say, Korekiyo and Tsumugi’s injuries are actually different, meaning this could be the work of two people.”

“Different how?” Maki inquired.

“Korekiyo’s injury is a giant gash, which suggests his head was cut open,” Shuichi explained. “Whereas, Tsumugi’s is a bruised lump, which most likely means she was hit over the head.”

“So, they’re not so similar after all,” Tenko concluded.

“Speaking of Tsumugi’s head injury,” Kaito said. “Can we talk a little bit more about that? Cuz I’m still kinda in the dark about what happened - well, besides from the fact someone snuck up on her.”

“There’s nothing else I can really tell you,” Tsumugi replied. “All I know is that I was attacked as I was about to enter Himiko's lab.”

“What about the weapon that was used to knock you out?” Kaito asked. “Do we have any kind of idea what it was?”

Tsumugi shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know that either.”

“Must be something hard,” Gonta put forward. “Like rock.”

“What about a candlestick?” Tenko suggested. “That’s the way it always goes in Cluedo.”

“Actually,” Shuichi replied. “I think the weapon used to attack Tsumugi is rather obvious; it was right in front of us during the investigation.”

Kaito scratched his head. “We saw a lot of things during the investigation…”

“Right in front of us…” Tenko muttered. “Wait! Do you mean the sword? The one we found next to Tsumugi!”

“Yes,” Shuichi replied, pleased that Tenko was following along. “For those of you that didn’t notice, there was a second sword. It's identical to the one used to murder Himiko and it was next to Tsumugi’s unconscious body in the hallway.”

“There were traces of blood on the sword too,” Tenko added.

“Hitting someone over the head with a sword could definitely do some damage,” Rantaro said.

“If Tsumugi was attacked with a sword, then it seems to me, that this was the work of Himiko’s killer,” Kaede stated. “The killer used swords on both of their victims.”

“That can’t just be a coincidence,” Keebo agreed.

“Okay, so I think we’ve established that Tsumugi’s attacker is probably Himiko’s killer, and also how exactly Tsumugi was attacked,” Rantaro recapped. “So I think now would be a good time to discuss something else. How about alibis? They were pretty useful during the last trial.”

It was a good idea; they needed to move onto something fresh to keep the trial flowing.

“Let’s do this the same as last time,” Rantaro suggested. “We'll go around the group and everyone gets to give their alibi.”

“Shall I go first?” Kaede volunteered. “This morning, I was at Confession Club. Once it finished, I went to the warehouse with Rantaro, Shuichi, and Tenko. After that, I went with Rantaro and Shuichi to the dining hall. Then, I went outside with them because of the fire alarm, and-”

Kokichi cut her short. “Okay, Kaede, we get it! You’re innocent. God, there’s no need to put us to sleep.”

“I was just sharing my alibi,” Kaede protested.

“Kaede has a solid alibi, and it seems that Shuichi and Rantaro do too, since they were together,” Kaito said.

“I haven’t been alone since waking up this morning,” Shuichi said, declaring his innocence.

“Rantaro has,” Miu pointed out. “When he set up Confession Club. Maybe he's the killer.”

“Yes, but Himiko and Korekiyo both showed up to Confession Club,” Rantaro reasoned. “So I can’t have killed them.”

“If anything, the people who left Confession Club are the most suspicious,” Tenko said.

“Since we don’t know what time the murders occurred, there’s no way of knowing whether they took place during Confession Club, or after it,” Shuichi pointed out.

“In that case,” Kaede said. “We have to look at absolutely everyone who has spent any time alone this morning.”

“I actually have an alibi, for once,” Ryoma remarked. “I went to Confession Club, and then Gonta took me to his lab to show me his bugs. It was...an experience…”

"I hope that's not a euphemism, Ryoma," Kokichi sniggered immaturely.

“Gonta has alibi too!” Gonta exclaimed.

“We know,” Maki said bluntly. “It’s the same as Ryoma’s.”

"Hang on a minute," Rantaro said. "Ryoma, you did leave Confession Club alone."

"Yeah I did," Ryoma replied. "But Gonta caught up with me less than two minutes later."

"That wouldn't have been enough time to carry out either of the murders or Tsumugi's attack," Kaede reasoned.

“That’s five people with solid alibis then,” Rantaro said. “Anyone else?”

“I was at Confession Club with everyone this morning,” Tenko said. “Then, I went to the warehouse with Kaede, Shuichi, and Rantaro. They left, as I was busy getting decorations. After that, the fire alarm went off, which is when I reunited with them.”

“Sorry, Tenko, but that’s not a solid alibi,” Kaito said. “You were alone in the warehouse for a short while. Anything could've happened in that time, cuz no one can account for you.”

“Are you suggesting I’m guilty?” Tenko scowled.

“No,” Kaito said calmly. “I’m just saying, your alibi ain’t solid.”

“Is it just me, or is anyone else real fuckin’ confused?” Miu asked. “Why were you getting decorations? And why does everyone keep mentioning the goddamn fire alarm?”

“The decorations were for a picnic we were organising,” Kaede said, without revealing the secret of Ryoma’s surprise.

“And the fire alarm, didn’t you hear that?!” Shuichi asked in surprise.

“Nope,” Miu said. “Which is why I literally just said that. Monokuma’s right, you’re such a parrot sometimes!”

Shuichi ignored her rude remark and persisted with questioning. “Where have you been all morning?”

“In my lab,” Miu replied, appearing confident enough to share the truth.

“Well, that’s probably why you didn’t hear the alarm,” Rantaro joined in. “The main school building has separate fire alarms to the external ones.”

“So, that’s your alibi, Miu?” Shuichi sought confirmation.

“Yeah,” Miu nodded. “I’ve been in my lab ever since I bailed on your shitty Confession Club.” she looked to Rantaro.

“Were you with anyone?” Shuichi followed up.

“Keebo came and saw me for a bit and we worked on some projects together,” Miu shared. “But, he got tired and didn’t stay for long.”

“I had to go and charge up in my dorm room.” Keebo elaborated. “Developing new software for my system can be very draining.”

Maki took the opportunity to voluntarily share her own alibi. “Since leaving Confession Club, I’ve been guarding my lab all morning.”

There were no surprises there, so Shuichi didn’t feel the need to question her further.

“Y’know,” Kokichi said. “I’ve been thinking about Tenko’s alibi. The warehouse is _pretttty_ close to Himiko’s lab, isn’t it?”

Tenko crossed her arms. “What are you implying, Kokichi?”

Kokichi shrugged. “I’m not implying anything, just pointing out the obvious. I think everyone in the room has noticed the tension between you, Himiko, and Tsumugi.”

Tenko spoke through gritted teeth. “If you’ve got something to say, then say it.”

“Okay,” Kokichi replied cheerfully. “I think you attacked Tsumugi and brutally murdered Himiko.”

“You surely can’t think that I did this!” Tenko cried in outrage. “Tsumugi and I might not be close friends, but I’d never harm another person! Especially not a girl!”

Kokichi cocked his head. “Soooo, you’d be willing to kill a boy?”

“That’s not what I mean!” Tenko exclaimed in frustration. “You’re twisting my words.”

“Now that you mention it, I have noticed some tension between you and Tsumugi,” Kaito said, as he looked at Tenko from across the courtroom.

“As have I," Maki agreed.

“Woah! Well, that’s when you know it’s bad!” Kokichi laughed. “Maki has barely even been here.”

Kokichi was right; it was very noticeable. The tension between Tenko, Tsumugi, and Himiko had been so high, that it made Shuichi very uncomfortable.

"Tenko's got a bad case of the green-eyed monster," Kokichi stated. 

“Tenko liked Himiko, so if she was going after Tsumugi for personal, jealous reasons, why is Himiko dead too?” Rantaro put forward, in Tenko’s defence.

“Maybe Tsumugi was her intended victim, and Himiko was an accidental witness,” Kokichi suggested.

“If Himiko witnessed Tenko attacking Tsumugi, there would be no going back,” Ryoma agreed. “Himiko would expose Tenko.”

“But Tsumugi didn’t die, Himiko did,” Tenko retorted.

“Perhaps that’s the irony of it all,” Maki said. “You thought you killed Tsumugi. Himiko witnessed it, so you had to kill her too, but then Tsumugi wasn’t dead after all.”

“Now _that_ would be interesting,” Kokichi remarked. “It would be the perfect plot twist for my documentary.”

“You’re still making that?” Miu rolled her eyes.

“I’m surprised you’re not filming the trial…” Rantaro muttered under his breath.

“Rantaro, that’s a brilliant idea!” Kokichi exclaimed, his hearing sharp. “I’m going to do that right now-”

Before he even had the chance to turn on his camera, Monokuma’s voice echoed throughout the courtroom. “Don’t you even think about it! Class trials are private events. If you film this, you’ll be severely punished.”

Shuichi was somewhat grateful that Monokuma had gotten involved. The class trials were upsettingly brutal and not something that Shuichi wanted to relive through the medium of video.

“Aww that’s so boring,” Kokichi sighed. “Oh well!” he quickly perked up again. “Back to what I was saying, Tenko tried to kill Tsumugi, but Himiko ended up dead; the result of being a witness.”

“Actually, I don’t think this theory works,” Shuichi spoke up. “Let’s look at the evidence again. Himiko was stabbed in the back, meaning she would have been facing away from whoever killed her. It sounds like a surprise attack to me.”

“That’s true,” Kaede nodded. “I can’t see why Himiko would want to turn her back on Tenko if she’d just seen her commit, what she believed to be, murder.”

“What if Himiko was trying to run away from Tenko, when Tenko managed to stab her?” Kokichi said. “That would explain it.”

“That…seems unlikely,” Shuichi replied. “Trying to impale someone with a sword, who is running away from you, is pretty difficult...I can imagine. Especially because the killer pierced a vital organ, meaning they were accurate with their aim.”

“Besides, if Himiko had just witnessed Tenko commit murder, running back into her lab would be the worst thing she could do,” Rantaro said. “It’s like in a horror movie, when the victim runs upstairs instead of out the door - trapping themselves.”

“That’s difficult to say without knowing the circumstances though,” Maki said. “Tenko might have been blocking the door.”

“That’s true,” Rantaro nodded, taking everything into consideration. “But even if Himiko was trapped in her lab, why would she have her back to Tenko?”

“I’m not sure this theory is the one,” Kaede shook her head.

“Unless Tenko wanted to kill Himiko as well as Tsumugi, so she murdered her first as a surprise attack,” Miu put forward. “The bitch got greedy.”

“Himiko was my best friend!” Tenko insisted. “I would never harm her.”

Miu shrugged. “But were you best friends? From what I saw, that lil’ witch was always avoidin’ you, like you carried the plague.”

“Maybe Tenko came to the conclusion that she was never going to have Himiko’s friendship,” Kokichi mused. “Even if she killed Tsumugi, Himiko would spend the rest of her time in mourning and wouldn’t suddenly become her best friend. So, she decided to end her life once and for all.”

“It’s that mentality of, if I can’t have you, then no one can…” Ryoma said eerily.

“I think Tenko was spying on Himiko and Tsumugi,” Miu expanded on her theory. “She saw Tsumugi leave for the toilet, which is when she went and stabbed Himiko. Then, she lurked like a pervert, and waited for Tsumugi to return so she could hurt her too.”

“That seems plausible,” Maki nodded, taking in what Miu had just said. “If Himiko was attacked first, Tenko easily could have stabbed her from behind, since Himiko had no reason to be on guard. When Tsumugi returned, Tenko was already waiting for her, so she could hit her over the head.”

“They don’t call me the gorgeous girl genius for nothin’!” Miu grinned, looking exceptionally pleased with herself.

“Who actually calls you that?” Rantaro asked.

“People without brains, I assume,” Kokichi answered.

Before Miu had time to argue, Shuichi weighed in with his opinion. “Miu, I believe you’re thinking along the right lines, but you’re still a little bit wrong.”

“I’m never wrong,” Miu scowled.

“As you’ve suggested, I’m almost positive that Himiko died before Tsumugi was attacked,” Shuichi said. “But, I don’t agree that Tenko did this.”

“Y-you, you think I’m innocent?” Tenko gasped, surprised that someone was on her side.

“I do,” Shuichi nodded.

“T-thank you, Shuichi,” Tenko said sincerely. “I’m glad someone believes me. I promise that I’d never hurt Himiko.”

“Why do you think she’s innocent?” Maki asked.

“There are two reasons,” Shuichi revealed. “Firstly, Tenko and I were the first people to find Tsumugi after her attack. When Tenko saw that Tsumugi was alive, she seemed relieved. Surely if Tenko was the killer, she would have been panicking, since one of her victims survived." 

“That still doesn’t prove shit,” Miu shrugged.

“Hear me out,” Shuichi continued. “My second reason, is that Tenko and I found Himiko’s body together. I saw her reaction in person. Tenko was hysterical, I’ve never seen anything like it. I just don’t believe somebody could give a reaction like that and be responsible for the murder.”

“Maybe she was acting,” Kokichi put forward.

“That’s your strength, not Tenko’s,” Shuichi replied.

Tenko scowled. “Are you insulting me, Shuichi?”

“He’s defending you,” Rantaro pointed out. “I’d stop arguing with him before you get yourself in an even bigger mess. But, for the record, I don’t think you did this either. If you hated Tsumugi and got the chance to kill her, I’m sure you’d go a little bit crazier than just a sword to the head. Y’know, you could’ve gone on a crazy stabbing spree or something.”

“So...do you guys finally believe me that I didn’t do this?” Tenko asked, pleading with her classmates.

“Ha, you’re not out of the hot seat yet,” Miu said.

“Listen, in the last trial, we nearly convicted the wrong person just because we hadn’t finished looking through the alibis,” Kaede said. “We have to learn from our mistakes and finish the rest of the alibis before we accuse Tenko of anything.”

“I haven’t given my alibi yet,” Kaito spoke up. “I was at Confession Club with you guys, and then, I was all over the school, passing on the message of the picnic. This is something I did alone.”

“Out of interest, who did you manage to pass the message to?” Rantaro asked. “This could be important.”

“Uh, truthfully....not as many people as I’d have liked,” Kaito shared, as he awkwardly massaged the back of his neck. “My plan was to start in the basement and work my way up the school. I began in the AV room, but I got a bit distracted by all of the DVDs…”

“How distracted?” Maki frowned.

“Well, y’know, kind of a lot…” Kaito said casually. “But c’mon, can you blame me? There were real DVDs down there! This is the closest connection we’ve got to the outside world.”

“Kaito, you met _us_ after leaving the AV room,” Kaede pointed out. “Does that mean you gave nobody the message?”

“Uh…” Kaito scratched his head. “Yeah, sorry. I found this awesome DVD about space and started to watch it. But hey, what does it matter? The time got changed anyway.”

“Not that we got to share that message either,” Rantaro muttered.

“So Kaito doesn’t have a solid alibi,” Maki concluded. “Even though you claim to be in the AV room, you were there alone.”

“Actually, I think despite being alone, we can consider Kaito innocent,” Shuichi said. “Three people, not including the killer, are needed to trigger the BDA. Kaito, Rantaro, and Kaede went to the pool together. If Kaito was the killer, Korekiyo’s BDA wouldn’t have sounded.”

“Ah good thinking, Shuichi!” Kaito grinned, giving him a grateful thumbs up.

"Not so fast," Kokichi said. "What if someone else had seen Korekiyo's body first? The BDA triggered because Rantaro and Kaede entered the pool, making it three witnesses. Kaito was the killer who just got lucky that someone else happened to see the body first."

"That doesn't make much sense," Kaede disagreed. "If someone, who isn't the killer, saw Korekiyo's body first, why wouldn't they say something? Also, if Kaito had killed Korekiyo, I don't think he would have gone to the pool, where he risked being exposed by the BDA." 

“That rules him out of being Korekiyo’s killer, but Kaito could still be Himiko’s,” Maki argued.

“Guys, there’s no way I’m the killer,” Kaito protested. “Since the beginning, I’ve been the one who’s wanted to expose our secrets. I’ve been doing everything I can to destroy Monokuma’s motive. I have no reason to kill.”

“That is true…” Keebo said. “I don’t think Kaito is the blackened.”

“I think Kaito can be considered innocent,” Rantaro nodded in agreement.

“Who else haven’t we heard from yet?” Kaede asked, as she looked around the group.

Kokichi raised his hand. “I can’t really give you a solid alibi, cuz I was all over the school, filming for my documentary.”

“Even if you’d been in the same place all morning, I don’t think you’d tell us,” Ryoma muttered.

“Hang on, if you’ve been filming all morning, then why don’t you show us your video camera footage?” Tenko suggested. “That should paint a good picture of where you’ve been.”

“Aww, Tenko that’s such a great idea!” Kokichi praised. “But, unfortunately, I can’t.”

“Why not?” Tenko demanded.

“Because I don’t have my camera on me,” Kokichi said. “It’s in my dorm. And I know we’re not allowed to leave the courtroom during the trial.”

Shuichi stared across as Kokichi. His video camera was very clearly resting on his podium. “Kokichi, your camera is right there.” he pointed.

“Nope, that’s just a decoration,” Kokichi replied.

“Kokichi,” Kaito facepalmed. “It’s clearly not.”

“I pinky promise it is,” Kokichi insisted.

“You literally just asked if you could record the class trial…” Rantaro said.

“This has to be your worst lie yet…” Kaede commented.

“Stop being such a shit,” Miu growled. “Show us your footage.”

“You’re welcome to come and look yourself, Miu,” Kokichi offered.

“Miu, don’t listen to him,” Shuichi warned her. “You’ll get punished if you move from your podium.”

“I don’t need your shitty advice, Poochi.” Miu snapped. Despite her aggression, she listened to Shuichi’s wise words and stayed put.

“We can’t force Kokichi to show us, so let’s just ignore him for now,” Rantaro suggested calmly.

“It’s like when a toddler has a tantrum,” Tsumugi said. “You just keep ignoring them until they get bored.”

The students were getting distracted, so Shuichi put them back on track. “So, to recap, only five of us have airtight alibis.”

“I’m not sure how helpful the alibis are for this case,” Tenko said. “Too many people are missing one.”

“Barely anyone has an alibi and we don’t even know the timings of the murders,” Kaito gulped. “This isn’t going as well as I thought.”

“Don’t worry,” Kaede reassured them with her positive attitude. “There’s still lots of evidence left to look at.”

“Uh, well I suppose now is probably a good time to mention what I found in the library,” Ryoma spoke up.

“Oh, right!” Shuichi exclaimed. This was some very intriguing evidence indeed.

“During the investigation, I searched places unrelated to the crime scenes, in case the killer was trying to hide anything in a place they didn’t expect people to look,” Ryoma explained. “Down in the library, I found a large kitchen knife and a suicide note.”

“A suicide note?” Kaede gasped. “Who’s?”

“Tenko’s,” Ryoma said.

“I’ve already seen it, and it isn’t mine,” Tenko said, jumping in before any accusations came her way.

“You’re getting more suspicious by the second,” Miu narrowed her brow.

“Before we discuss this note any further, I think it’s a good idea that everyone sees it,” Shuichi said, as he retrieved the piece of paper from his pocket. He lent over and passed it to Kaito.

The note travelled around the courtroom until everyone had read it. It returned to Shuichi via Miu.

“I have no reason to kill myself,” Tenko stated. “I already told my secret at Confession Club.”

“Unless that was a scam,” Maki said. “Perhaps you shared one of your lies, in order to trick us.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Tenko frowned.

“Even if Tenko was lying about her secret, which I don’t think she was, she wouldn’t create a plan to kill herself but then kill someone else instead,” Kaede spoke up.

“I agree,” Shuichi nodded. “The suicide note has ‘Tenko’ talk about how she could never hurt anyone, but wants the motive to end, so she’s willing to sacrifice her own life. For her to say that, and then murder someone, would be a complete shift of character.”

“No one’s personality could change that quickly.” Kaede agreed.

“Someone must’ve written this note pretending to be Tenko then,” Kaito concluded.

“I believe that’s exactly what happened, and we already know who it is,” Shuichi said.

“Who?” Kaito inquired.

“...” Tenko said nothing.

“Tenko?” Kaito prompted her. “Tenko?”

“It’s...it’s Himiko,” Tenko said, clearly reluctant to reveal this information. She probably couldn’t believe that her friend would betray her.

“Himiko do this?!” Gonta exclaimed. “Why?”

“This morning, I received a note from Himiko,” Tenko explained. “Her handwriting matches the suicide note.”

“What did the note from Himiko say?” Keebo asked.

“That she wanted me to be her second magician’s assistant,” Tenko revealed. “She told me to meet her in the library at 2:30 if I was interested.”

“A second assistant…?” Tsumugi repeated. “Himiko never mentioned that to me.”

“It sounds pretty fishy,” Kaito said. “It seems like Himiko was trying to lure you to the basement alone.”

“Where she was going to stab you and frame your death as a suicide,” Maki concluded. “A simple, yet cunning, plan.”

“Who knew Himiko was capable of something so dark!” Kokichi raised his brow.

“Yet someone killed Himiko before she got the chance to murder Tenko,” Rantaro said. “If that never happened, we could’ve been attending a very different class trial.”

“I just can’t believe Himiko would do something like that,” Tsumugi gasped. “She was such a sweet person. Are you sure the handwriting is the same?”

“I’ve seen the note for myself,” Shuichi vouched. “The handwriting is an exact match.”

“Secrets can turn people,” Ryoma said.

“It seems odd to me, just because Himiko was so lazy,” Kokichi remarked. “I’m surprised she had the energy to even write the letter!”

“Tenko, when Himiko gave you the note, did her behaviour seem off?” Shuichi asked. “Did she seem different to usual?”

“Oh, Himiko didn’t give me the note in person,” Tenko clarified. “I found it under my door this morning, along with Rantaro’s note about Confession Club.”

“Wait, what?!” Shuichi exclaimed, completely caught off guard by this information. “You mean, Himiko didn’t physically hand it to you?”

“No,” Tenko shook her head.

“Tenko, you should’ve said so sooner,” Shuichi said, somewhat disappointed that she hadn’t thought to mention this. “This changes everything.”

“How was I supposed to know?!” Tenko snapped defensively. “I don’t see what difference it makes anyway.”

“God, you make me wanna bash my head against the wall!” Miu rolled her eyes. “If the note came under your door, that means anyone could’ve put it there. It might not be from Himiko.”

“Miu gets it.” Shuichi nodded.

Miu shuddered. “Poochi, your flirting makes my toes curl up!”

“I-I wasn’t flirting!” Shuichi objected, disgusted at the very thought.

“Uh guys, keep your flirting for outside the courtroom,” Kaito said. “We’ve gotta get back on track.”

“I was _not_ flirting!” Shuichi protested.

“So...you mean someone was pretending to be Himiko?” Tenko gasped, attempting to process what she’d just been told.

“Yes,” Miu said. “Had you ever seen Himiko’s handwriting before you got this letter?”

“N-no,” Tenko replied. “But it looked much neater than Rantaro’s, so I could tell it belonged to a girl, and I had no reason to doubt Himiko.”

“You can’t just assume that because someone’s handwriting is neat, they must be a girl,” Keebo frowned. “That’s a very stereotypical way of thinking.”

“Whoever wrote your suicide note is the same person that wrote your letter from Himiko,” Shuichi said. “Whoever wrote it clearly wanted to kill you.”

“They were trying to lure you to the basement, which is probably why they pretended the letter was from Himiko,” Kaede put together. “Everyone knew you liked and trusted her. Whereas, if the letter was signed by one of the boys, you might not have gone to the library alone.”

“Too right I wouldn’t have!” Tenko exclaimed. “Degenerates can never be trusted, especially not down in the dark basement.”

“The killer never got the chance to attack you, because Himiko and Korekiyo were killed before your agreed meeting time, which triggered the class trial,” Shuichi said. “Which leads us to a very worrying conclusion...your potential attacker is most likely standing in this very room.”

“Do...do you think it’s the same person who killed Himiko?” Tenko whispered.

“It’s hard to say,” Shuichi replied. “Himiko was a part of their plan, so I’m not sure why they would suddenly kill her instead of you. Unless an opportunity provided itself, of course.”

“They could be Korekiyo’s killer,” Tsumugi pointed out.

“That’s true,” Shuichi nodded. “Or, a third person, who never got the chance to attack. With the motive’s deadline looming, I wouldn’t be surprised at this possibility.”

“Okay, fess up!” Tenko raised her voice. “Who here tried to kill me?”

The room fell silent.

“They’re obviously not going to say anything,” Kokichi scoffed.

“Was it you, Kokichi?” Tenko narrowed her eyes at him.

“Nope,” Kokichi said. “If I was going to kill you, I would have thought of a far more interesting way to do so. That plan is _soooo_ basic and cowardly.”

“Your attacker arranged a meeting with you just half an hour before the time limit,” Shuichi looked to Tenko. “They were leaving it quite late. Perhaps they were hoping someone else would commit murder before them, so they wouldn’t have to go through with it.”

“As I said; cowardly,” Kokichi repeated.

“Killing anyone, no matter what, is cowardly,” Kaito corrected him.

“I wish we could somehow identify the killer’s writing,” Tsumugi said. “That would solve everything.”

“Does anyone have any paper?” Tenko asked. “Maybe we could go around the circle and each write something? Then, we can see who’s writing matches the forged letters.”

“Yeah, because the killer totally won’t disguise their writing!” Kokichi said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“There’s no need to be rude,” Tenko scowled. “Why don’t you come up with something if you're so smart?! Because we seem to have hit another dead end.”

“Hmmm…” Kokichi paused, as he took a moment to think. “I know what we can discuss.”

“What?” Kaede said.

“I’ll give you three guesses,” Kokichi replied.

“We don’t have time for that, Kokichi,” Kaede frowned, unimpressed by his constant need to play games.

“Sure we do,” Kokichi said cheerfully. “Monokuma’s fallen asleep in his chair!”

“He has?!” Shuichi exclaimed, as he turned his neck to look at the bear. Sure enough, Monokuma was curled up, fast asleep in his throne, snoring away.

“I should’ve known it’s been too long without hearing his irritating voice,” Rantaro remarked.

“I can’t believe he’s sleeping!” Kaede folded her arms in annoyance. “He’s supposed to be in charge of this trial.”

“What are youse lots bitchin’ about?” Monosuke piped up.

“Why is Monokuma asleep?” Kaede asked. “We’re in the middle of the class trial.”

“Yeah, aren’t you gonna wake him up?” Kaito asked.

“The trial itself isn’t important; it’s only the verdict that matters,” Monotaro replied. “So no, we won’t be waking father until it’s time to vote.”

“To be honest, it’s probably better with Monokuma asleep,” Shuichi said. “That way, he can’t keep getting involved.”

“So, anyway, back to where we were,” Rantaro said. “Kokichi, you were going to tell us something?”

“Kaede hasn’t had her three guesses but I’m getting bored, so I’ll tell you anyway,” Kokichi said. “Our next topic of conversation is….” he acted out a drum roll on his podium to keep the students waiting even longer. “The fire alarm!”

“Why would we talk about that?” Ryoma frowned. “That was the last motive.”

“Kokichi wasting time again?” Gonta sighed.

“Yup,” Ryoma nodded.

“ _Excuse me_!” Kokichi raised his voice dramatically. “I’ll have you know that the fire alarm is a big part of this case. Isn’t that right, Shuichi?”

“Uh, well I don’t know if it plays a _big_ part, but it does relate to today’s events,” Shuichi replied.

“So, you’re saying there was a fire alarm?” Ryoma looked at him blankly.

“Are you slow?” Miu said rudely. “We talked about this earlier. I said how I never heard the alarm, and then we realised that’s because I was in my lab - an external building.”

“I know, and I was confused at the time,” Ryoma replied. “But the conversation moved on before I got the chance to ask, so I presumed I must have somehow misunderstood.”

Kaede took it upon herself to explain. “There was a fire alarm shortly before we discovered the bodies.”

“Are you sure it was the fire alarm?” Ryoma asked. “Because I was on the second floor and I didn’t hear a thing.”

“There wasn’t a message from Monokuma this time, but the alarm sounded,” Kaede informed him.

“Gonta not hear it either,” Gonta scratched his head. 

“You were in your talent lab, if I remember correctly,” Maki said. “Perhaps your lab is soundproof.”

“I didn’t hear it either, and I was in the basement,” Kaito said. "I thought that was because the AV room might have soundproofing, but if Gonta and Ryoma didn't hear it either, then that's a bit odd."

“So...who actually _did_ hear it?” Shuichi asked.

“I can’t speak for who did and who didn’t hear it, but only five of us evacuated outside,” Kaede said. “You, Rantaro, Tenko, Maki, and myself.”

“I heard it too, by the way,” Kokichi said.

“Kokichi, if you heard the fire alarm, why didn’t you assemble outside?” Tenko challenged him.

“Cuz I knew it was a drill,” Kokichi replied.

“How?” Tenko pressed.

“Call me psychic,” Kokichi grinned, keeping the truth to himself.

“Maybe he’s just winding us up and he never heard it at all,” Kaede said.

“Let’s take a minute to understand who didn’t hear the fire alarm,” Shuichi said. “Ryoma, Gonta, Kaito. Anyone else?”

Keebo raised his arm. “I didn’t hear it. But, I was in Miu's lab, as well as my dorm room, and we already know that the main fire alarm isn't connected to the external buildings.”

“We know why Miu and Keebo didn’t hear the alarm,” Shuichi said. “But that’s not the case for Ryoma, Gonta, and Kaito.”

“W-wait a minute!” Kaede gasped, as if a light bulb had just appeared above her head. “I think I know why only a select few of us heard the alarm. We all have something in common!”

“Don’t be a tease, Kaede,” Miu said. “What is it?”

“We were all on the first floor when the alarm sounded!” Kaede revealed.

“Oh, that’s right,” Kaito nodded. “I didn’t hear the alarm down in the basement and Gonta and Ryoma didn’t hear it on the second floor. So...does that mean the alarm only sounded on one floor?”

“THAT’S RIGHT!” Monokuma shouted.

“Ahhhh!” Shuichi yelped, caught off guard by Monokuma, who he presumed was still asleep.

“Your nap is over then…” Rantaro muttered.

“I’ve been trying to cut costs around the academy,” Monokuma explained. “We’re living in a tough economy, you know!”

“And the fire alarm relates to this...how?” Tenko asked.

“The fire alarm in the main school building only sounds on the floor it was activated,” Monokuma revealed.

“So, you’re saying that if the fire alarm was triggered on the third floor, it would only be heard on the third floor?” Shuichi asked, wanting to be certain that he understood.

“Correct!” Monokuma nodded.

“T-that’s so dangerous!” Kaede gasped. “How is everyone else supposed to know if there’s a fire?”

Monokuma shrugged. “I dunno. Look for the flames?”

“Does the alarm ever trigger on the other floors?” Shuichi followed up.

“If smoke was detected on that floor, yes,” Monokuma nodded. “But until it is, the alarm won’t sound anywhere else.”

“How ridiculous,” Tenko frowned. “That doesn’t give anyone enough time to evacuate!”

“One more question,” Shuichi said. “Do the same rules apply for the sprinklers?”

Monokuma nodded once again. “Yep. It’s one of the reasons why I changed the way the alarms work. After the last motive, I realised that I can’t afford to have the entire school get wet every time the alarm goes off. There are more floors than you’re aware of!”

“Glad to know money is worth more to you than our lives…” Rantaro muttered.

“Well duh,” Monokuma retorted. “You’re about as important as dung beetles.”

“I have a question,” Kaede said. “Even if the fire alarm only sounded on one floor, surely it could be heard from another? Wouldn’t the noise travel through the staircases?”

“Nope,” Monokuma shook his head. “I use the most impressive, state of the art technology to prevent this from happening, because I can't have all the sprinklers setting off unnecessarily.”

“You’re inflicting death on us for no reason at all!” Tsumugi exclaimed in horror.

“So, since the fire alarm only sounded on the first floor, I’m guessing this was some kind of prank?” Kaito suggested. “It doesn’t seem like there was any real smoke, or all of the alarms would’ve triggered.”

“I don’t understand why someone would want to pull a prank like that,” Tsumugi said. “It’s plain to see that’s not funny.”

“Kokichi, was it you?” Gonta asked.

“I find it insulting that you think it was me,” Kokichi replied. “My imagination is far greater than that.”

“Well then, who did it?” Kaito asked. “I can’t think of anyone else who’d want to perform a prank.”

“Unless...unless it wasn’t a prank!” Kaede exclaimed, struck with another burst of inspiration. “What if it was a distraction? A distraction by the killer!”

“You mean, they triggered the fire alarm hoping we’d all focus on that?” Keebo replied.

“Yes exactly,” Kaede nodded. “I think they triggered the alarm so we would go outside, away from either crime scene.”

“Or…” Shuichi said, running with Kaede’s train of thought. “The killer triggered the fire alarm for a different reason…”

“What’s with all the dramatic cliff hangers?” Miu huffed. “Just tell us!”

“The killer needed to get everyone wet...” Shuichi revealed.

Miu titled back her head and roared with laughter. “You’re just outing yourself as a pervert at this point!”

“Leave off it, Miu,” Shuichi frowned. He went on to explain his theory before Miu could make any more vulgar comments. “We’ve established that the fire alarm and sprinklers only went off on the first floor, which means this is the floor the alarm was triggered on. Both Himiko’s lab and the swimming pool - our two crime scenes - happen to be on the first floor also.”

“Is...is that just a coincidence?” Tsumugi gasped.

“When it comes to murder, there’s no such thing as a coincidence,” Ryoma said.

“Now, do either of our crime scenes have any connection to water?” Shuichi asked. Wanting to get his classmates on board with his theory, he waited for an answer.

“Obviously the swimming pool does,” Maki replied.

“Exactly!” Shuichi nodded. “I can’t believe I didn’t make this connection until now; it seems so obvious.” It was something his Uncle would have noticed immediately. “One of the murders happened to take place in a swimming pool, and suddenly the fire alarm and sprinklers go off, which are designed to get people wet.”

“There definitely could be a connection between the two events,” Rantaro said, in agreement with Shuichi’s theory.

“I’m beginning to wonder if Korekiyo’s killer accidentally got wet,” Shuichi speculated. “Maybe they fell in the pool, or perhaps Korekiyo splashed around so much in the final moments of his life, that he soaked them.”

“Where has this theory come from?” Maki asked. “Do you have any evidence to back it up?”

“Concrete evidence? No,” Shuichi replied. “But I’m trying to think of reasons why the fire alarm sounded so close to us finding the bodies. As Ryoma said, coincidences don’t exist.”

“If the killer did get wet, that would instantly tie them to the crime,” Keebo put together.

“Exactly,” Shuichi nodded. “So, to stop themselves from standing out, the killer triggered the fire alarm, expecting the sprinklers to release all over the school. This would make everybody inside as wet as them.”

“But that’s where their plan failed!” Tenko exclaimed. “The killer probably didn’t realise the sprinklers would only trigger on the first floor. I haven't heard Monokuma mention that rule until now.”

“I wouldn’t say it completely failed though,” Rantaro reasoned. “A handful of us still got wet, which stopped the killer from appearing obvious.”

“Actually,” Shuichi said. “It's been completely obvious all this time...I just didn’t see it until now.”

The suspect had been right in front of his eyes this entire time. How could he have overlooked them until now?! 

“Wait, are you saying you saw the killer?!” Kaito exclaimed. “Do you know who killed Korekiyo?"

“I think so, yes,” Shuichi replied, trying his best to say calm. “We know that the fire alarm only triggered on the first floor, and five of us evacuated the building.”

“I don’t see anything odd about that,” Kaito shrugged.

“Perhaps not at first,” Shuichi said. “But, when you think about it, someone was there who shouldn’t have been.”

“W-who?!” Tenko gulped.

The courtroom fell silent as everyone began to speculate. Suspicious glances were made all across the room, with everyone suddenly doubting each other. Shuichi couldn’t bear the building tension, but he needed a moment to prepare. Once he made the accusation there was no taking it back, so he had to be ready for every potential argument the suspected killer might throw at him. After thirty seconds or so, he was ready. This was it, there was no going back. The Detective steadily pointed his finger at the suspect. “Korekiyo’s killer is none other than Maki Harukawa!”

“Maki?!” Kaede exclaimed, as her jaw widened in surprise.

Maki rolled her eyes, as she calmly brushed off Shuichi’s serious accusation. “It’s not me.”

“Maki, you said you were on the third floor, guarding your lab,” Shuichi said. “Yet somehow, you heard the fire alarm down on the first floor. A fire alarm that Gonta and Ryoma on the second floor didn’t even hear.”

“Oh, that’s true!” Kaede gasped. “It didn’t occur to me that Maki wasn’t originally on the first floor like the rest of us.”

“I have very strong hearing,” Maki replied rationally. “It’s one of the skills that makes me the Ultimate Child Care Giver; I’m super attentive.”

“That’s gotta be a load of bullshit, right?” Miu scoffed.

“Unless you’re secretly a bat, supersonic hearing isn’t going to cut it as an excuse,” Rantaro frowned, in no mood to tolerate poor reasoning. 

“Maki shouldn’t have been as wet as she was either,” Shuichi continued. “The rest of us were caught off guard by the sprinklers, and were hit pretty badly, since we stood around deciding what to do. But, if Maki had really heard the alarm on the third floor, she only would have gotten wet when she reached the first floor, and by that point, all she had to do was come down the stairs and out the door.”

“Yeah, she should’ve only been a little bit damp,” Tenko agreed. “But she was just as wet as us.”

“You just proved yourself wrong, Shuichi,” Maki said. “You saw me exit the main school building. If I had been in the swimming pool, I would have emerged from that door instead.”

“To be fair, although the pool is part of the main school building, there is not a connecting door,” Keebo said.

"You  _needed_ us to see you exit the main school building, in order to avoid suspicion," Shuichi said. "It's entirely possible that you snuck out of the pool and back into the main school building, before exiting from there. We just didn't see you do it."

"That's not evidence," Maki frowned.

"I never said it was," Shuichi retaliated. "I'm just thinking of potential theories."

"That does sound plausible," Kaede agreed.

“Maki triggered the alarm, unaware that only the first floor would hear it,” Shuichi said. “By the time she joined us outside, it was already too late for her to turn back.”

“If you really were on the third floor, Maki, then I’m sure you would’ve mentioned that the sprinklers were only going off on the first,” Rantaro said. “But you didn’t.”

“Shuichi, you’re running away with a ridiculous theory,” Maki said bluntly. “I never leave my lab. So why would I be in the swimming pool trying to kill Korekiyo?”

“Because you wanted to protect your secret?” Ryoma suggested.

“I don’t care about secrets,” Maki snipped.

“Then why didn’t you stay at Confession Club?” Ryoma challenged her.

“Yeah c’mon Maki,” Kaito said. “You’ve been telling us since the start of the motive to keep our secrets quiet, so you can’t have changed your mind now.”

“I didn’t want to keep the secrets private, I just thought it would be stupid to expose them, since everyone can lie,” Maki explained herself.

“So what if people lied?” Tenko shrugged. “You weren’t even willing to hear anyone out.”

“Confession Club was a really safe space,” Kaede agreed. “We all spoke truthfully without judgement. If everyone had stayed, I’m sure more people would’ve felt comfortable enough to be honest.”

“Don’t blame me for the low attendance to Confession Club,” Maki snapped. “Miu is the one who left first, setting off a chain reaction.”

“Hey!” Miu objected. “It’s not my fault you’re all a bunch of fuckin’ sheep.”

“Maki, no matter what you think about secrets, can you explain to us how you were able to hear the fire alarm?” Shuichi asked.

“I already told you,” Maki said coldly. “I have good hearing.”

“No, that’s not gonna cut it,” Rantaro shook his head. “We want the truth.”

“Your reaction wasn’t genuine, Maki,” Shuichi said. “You never mentioned that the sprinklers were only on the first floor. Which is something you would’ve noticed had you really been outside your lab.”

“Everyone knows you killed Korekiyo,” Kokichi said, teasing Maki. “So, you might as well just explain yourself and stop wasting our time.”

"Just tell us the truth Maki and we'll listen to you," Shuichi pleaded. 

Maki exhaled a deep sigh and closed her eyes for twenty seconds or so. It seemed that she was preparing her thoughts. When she opened them again, she was finally ready to talk, although she spoke through gritted teeth. “Just promise that you’ll hear me out with no interruptions?”

“Deal,” Shuichi nodded.

“I...I did kill Korekiyo, but it was in self-defence,” Maki admitted, revealing the truth to her classmates. “Korekiyo tried to kill me first.”

Miu snorted. “Like we’re gonna believe that!”

“I said no interruptions,” Maki shot her a piercing glare.

"Jeez," Miu raised her brow. "You don't need to take it so fuckin' personally."

"Carry on with your story, Maki," Kaede prompted her.

"Earlier this morning, I was at the swimming pool by myself," Maki shared. "I was sat on the edge of the pool, with my legs dangling over the edge. All of a sudden, I found myself being strangled. It came from nowhere; I hadn't even heard anyone enter the room."

"That must've been terrifying," Tsumugi sympathised. 

"I managed to fight my attacker back, which is when I realised that it was Korekiyo," Maki continued. "I was able to throw both of us in the water. He was still after me, but I was able to reach the pool's ladder to escape. I was halfway up the ladder, when Korekiyo grabbed my legs. I violently shook him off and he fell badly, hitting his head on the bottom of the pool. It wasn't until I got out that I realised Korekiyo was no longer moving and the water was now red."

"You probably thought he was dead, but at that point, he was only unconscious," Ryoma said. 

“Okay, that story is even fishier than the smell coming from between Miu’s legs,” Kokichi said. “You _never_ leave your lab, not even to eat, so why would you be randomly hanging out at the pool?”

Kaito scratched his head. “I mean yeah, I’ve been bringing you all of your meals to your lab because you wouldn’t move. It doesn’t make sense that you’d suddenly go for a swim.”

Maki clenched her fists, clearly frustrated. “I know it doesn’t sound believable, but it’s the truth.”

“Your part sounds weird, but I could definitely see Korekiyo strangling women,” Miu remarked. “That guy was a serial killer waiting to happen.”

“Korekiyo might have said some strange things, but I’m not sure if he’d murder anyone,” Keebo voiced his opinion. “He always seemed to nice to me.”

“You’re a robot; you have poor judgement,” Kokichi teased.

“Kokichi,” Keebo frowned. “That sounds awfully robophobic.”

“Now’s not the time to be oppressed Keebo,” Miu rolled her eyes. “We’re discussing a murderer here!”

Shuichi joined in with the conversation. “Maki, even you must see that your story is hard to believe. You’ve been guarding your lab like it’s the entrance to a top secret, government lair.”

“Wait, is that what’s behind the door?” Tenko gasped.

“N-no,” Shuichi clarified. “I was just making a comment.”

"Not to mention, if you really were strangled, then shouldn't there be marks on your neck?" Rantaro put forward. 

Shuichi stared at Maki's neck. It looked no different to normal, with zero signs of any bruising or markings. "That's true. If you were strangled with such force, there would be marks. It's usually a telltale sign of strangulation."

"There are marks, you just can't see them," Maki replied. 

Kaito raised his brow in disbelief. "Invisible strangulation marks?"

"They're not invisible," Maki snapped. "They're just covered with makeup."

"Really?!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Yes!" Maki insisted.

"I'm a little confused as to when you would have gotten the opportunity during all of this to apply makeup," Shuichi said. "Wouldn't that require a trip to the warehouse?"

"You don't need to know why or where I got the makeup, just know that I'm wearing it," Maki said.

"You can't palm us off like that," Miu frowned. "We need proof, or you're lyin'." 

"Fine," Maki sighed, once again. She took the sleeve of her top and dragged it across her neck. The fabric was instantly covered in lightly coloured foundation. Where the makeup had been removed, deep, dark bruises were now exposed on Maki's neck.

Shuichi couldn't help but gasp. "You...you really have marks!"

"I wasn't lying," Maki said.

"They look legitimate," Keebo remarked, as he studied Maki. 

"That's because they are," Maki replied. "I was strangled by Korekiyo."

"The marks seem real, but I have to ask a few more questions before I can believe your story," Rantaro said. "Why did you hide the marks with makeup? Where did you get the makeup? When did you apply it? And why were you at the pool?"

"I covered the bruises because I didn't want you to find out what had happened," Maki answered. 

"That makes sense," Rantaro nodded. "But what about my other questions?"

"I can't answer them," Maki looked to the ground. "I just can't."

"You can't only give us half of your story," Tenko frowned.

"That's all you're getting out of me," Maki said stubbornly. 

“ _Makiiiii,_ ” Kokichi sang. “ _Oh, Makiiii,_ ”

“What?” Maki snapped; she had no time for his games.

“ _I know how to help youuuu,”_ Kokichi grinned, his sing-songy tone extremely smug and irritating.

“I don’t want to hear it,” Maki turned away, ignoring him.

Kokichi neglected her wishes. “I know your secret. I know what you’ve been hiding. If you tell the others, then _maybe_ they’ll believe you.”

Maki froze, instantly. “Y-you k-know?” Her confidence was fading, as if she knew Kokichi was capable of discovering the truth.

“Yup,” Kokichi nodded. “And don’t even try to call me out for lying, cuz I’ll tell everyone your secret before you get the chance.”

“Wait, if you believe Maki then why did you just say her story sounds fishy?” Kaede asked.

Kokichi shrugged. “I felt like I hadn’t spoken in a while.”

Maki folded her arms. “I don’t want to do this, but I feel like it’s the only way to get you to believe me.”

“Look Maki, the logic from Confession Club still stands,” Rantaro said kindly. “We’re not going to judge you.”

“Wait until you’ve actually heard my secret,” Maki muttered.

“Go ahead, the floor is yours,” Rantaro encouraged her.

Maki stood in complete silence for over a minute, before finally opening up. “My talent...it’s not what you think it is. I am not the Ultimate Child Caregiver.”

Shuichi thought back to Maki’s mannequin card, which he had memorised. “Then...then that means you’re-”

Kokichi interrupted him before he had the chance to finish his sentence. “That’s right, Maki is really the Ultimate Assassin!”

“Kokichi!” Tenko scorned. “That’s Maki’s secret to tell, not yours.”

Kokichi shrugged. “She was taking too long.”

“Maki,” Kaede said gently. “Is...is that true?”

Maki flinched. “Yes.” 

“Okay, well now we know for certain that she killed Korekiyo!” Miu exclaimed. “Himiko too. And she most definitely attacked Tsumugi.”

“This is why I never told you my true talent,” Maki sighed. “Because as soon as people hear the word ‘assassin’, they think you’re some kind of heartless killing machine.”

“Well duh,” Miu retorted. “If you weren’t, then you’d hardly qualify for the title.”

“I knew this would happen,” Maki ranted. “You all fear me now. No one is even willing to look me in the eyes.”

“We don’t fear you, Maki,” Shuichi said, trying his best to support his classmate. It was a lot to process, but he didn’t want to judge.

“Don’t kid yourself,” Maki snipped. “I’ve seen this time and time again. As soon as people learn my real talent, they think I’m going to kill them and so they try to kill me first.”

“So...that’s why you kept it quiet?” Kaede asked.

“No,” Miu scoffed. “Obviously, she wanted to use her talent against us. To kill us all!”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” Maki sighed. “I never told you because who wants to introduce themselves as the Ultimate Assassin?! Then, Monokuma revealed we were in a killing game and that’s when I knew you could never learn the truth.”

“I get that,” Kaito nodded sympathetically. “In a kill or be killed situation, the Ultimate Assassin would probably be everyone’s number one target. People would fear you so much, they’d want you dead.”

“Exactly,” Maki said.

“So, uh, what has all of this got to do with Korekiyo’s murder?” Tsumugi asked. “Why is it supposed to make us believe that you were at the pool?”

“Well, as you might have guessed, my talent lab is that of the Ultimate Assassin,” Maki revealed. “That’s why I’ve been so protective of it. If you went inside, you’d learn the truth immediately.”

It was as if Maki had granted Shuichi a key piece to a very confusing puzzle; he now understood her intense need to guard her lab. "Ohhh, I see!" 

"I've been doing everything I can to protect my secret, but Monokuma’s latest motive completely ruined my efforts,” Maki said. “When he revealed the mannequins, I was faced with three different options.”

“Which were?” Tsumugi asked.

“Option one, I commit murder to protect my secret. Not only does it stop you from finding out my real talent, but providing I’m successful in the trial, I get to graduate too,” Maki explained. 

“That’s arguably the safest option for you,” Rantaro said.

“Option two, I don’t kill and accept the fact Monokuma is going to expose my secret,” Maki continued. “Or, option three, I wait it out and hope someone else kills, in order to end the motive, but also fails in the class trial so I survive.” 

“Option three is probably the riskiest, but you don’t have to try and cover up a crime yourself,” Shuichi said. 

“I’m guessing Maki went for option number one,” Kokichi speculated. “Killing is like second nature to her, after all.”

"Killing someone just to protect my secret would make me exactly what I don't want to be...a heartless murderer," Maki shared. “I know that I'm an assassin, but I do that because I must, not because I enjoy it. People have always misunderstood me and I don’t want to prove them right.”

“I still don’t understand how this relates to the swimming pool,” Miu yawned.

“I’m getting to that,” Maki snapped. “With the time limit looming closer, I started to assume that option three wasn’t going to happen. Especially when you, Rantaro, organised Confession Club and people were freely sharing their secrets.”

Shuichi listened intently.

“After Confession Club was organised, I was almost certain that Monokuma exposing our secrets was going to become a reality,” Maki revealed. “And if I wasn’t willing to kill, then this was a reality I had to be okay with. I had to accept that you guys might find out my true talent.”

Miu drummed her foot impatiently. “I still don't hear anything about the swimming pool.”  
  
Maki ignored her. “This morning, I was able to come to terms with the idea of you all knowing my secret. It wasn’t ideal and I knew it would probably cause you all to hate me, but it was better than murder. It would also stop Monokuma from having something hanging over my head, which he can use against me.”

“You have to take the venom out of your secrets if you don’t want them used to hurt you,” Kaito agreed.

“Exactly. So earlier this morning, I forced myself to leave my lab unattended,” Maki said. “I had to take the fear out of my secret.”

“If that’s the case, then why didn’t you just tell us your secret?” Rantaro asked. “You could’ve stayed at Confession Club.”

Maki clenched up, clearly uncomfortable with sharing so many personal details. "If you must know, I tried to come to Confession Club, but by the time I'd changed my mind, it was already over." 

"It's a shame you weren't able to join us in time," Rantaro sympathised. 

"I thought you were dead against Confession Club," Tenko said.

"I was, until I walked away, accepted my situation and reflected," Maki admitted. "But I missed my opportunity, so I went to the swimming pool instead, to clear my mind. I thought it would be peaceful and empty." 

"If you really are the Ultimate Assasin, then how come Korekiyo was able to sneak up on you?" Ryoma inquired. 

"He was incredibly quiet," Maki replied. "He knew what he was going to do and behaved stealthily."  

Shuichi reflected on everything Maki had just said. Understanding the truth behind her secret certainly helped Maki's story make sense. It sounded believable and her reactions seemed genuine.

“Kokichi, I have to ask,” Maki said. “How did you discover the truth about my talent? Did you go in my lab?”

“Yup. I was all over the school filming for my documentary,” Kokichi shared. “I went to the third floor and noticed you were missing. I took the opportunity to sneak into your lab, which is where I discovered everything. I saw all of the weapons and instantly related it to your mannequin's card.”

“I thought as much,” Maki muttered. 

"Now that we know your true talent, are you going to tell us how you were able to cover your bruises with makeup?" Kaede asked.

"I suppose I can tell you," Maki said. "I have makeup in my talent lab. So during the investigation, I covered up my neck."

"The Ultimate Assasin has makeup in her lab, yeah right!" Miu scoffed.

"I do," Maki insisted. "As an assassin, there are times where you have to disguise your appearance to get wherever you need to be. Perhaps you're undercover at a certain type of event. There's more to what I do than just weapons."

"Assains have to be sneaky and blend in, so I can see why makeup might be important for you," Shuichi said. "But there's something that doesn't add up. I saw you before the investigation, when you came outside for the fire alarm. You claim you weren't wearing any makeup then, but I never noticed any bruising on your neck."

"That's because I disguised it with my hair," Maki explained. "My hair was so wet, I moved my pigtails around to cover the bruising and it didn't look out of place. However, I knew this wasn't a permanent solution, but it bought me enough time."

Shuichi was satisfied with this answer.

“Okay, so I think we’ve established that Maki is responsible for killing Korekiyo,” Rantaro said. “But, what about Himiko’s murder and Tsumugi’s attack?”

“That wasn’t me,” Maki said, straight off the bat.

“Obviously you’re going to say that,” Miu rolled her eyes. “You wanna save your skin.”

“I don’t think Maki is just trying to save her own ass,” Kaito disagreed. “Remember, we’re after the blackened who struck first, and right now, we don’t know who died first out of Korekiyo and Himiko. Imagine if it was Korekiyo? Then Maki’s just written her own death sentence.”

“Maybe Maki killed them both and she’s gonna frame somebody for Himiko’s murder,” Miu speculated. “This whole self-defence thing could be one big act.”

“It’s not,” Maki insisted.

“You’ve been lying about your talent since the day we met you; we can’t trust anything you say,” Miu argued. “And let me guess, you know who died first and it definitely wasn’t Korekiyo?”

“As a matter of fact, I do know who died first,” Maki replied. “I didn’t want to tell you, since I wanted you to figure this out for yourselves, but at this point, our lives are on the line and we're not getting any closer to the truth.”

“Let’s all hail our lord and saviour Maki, who’s about to portray herself as the innocent one,” Kokichi teased, as he pretended to pray at his podium.

“This is a class trial, we need to listen to all potential evidence, whether you think it’s true or not,” Shuichi pointed out. “Maki, tell us what you know.”

“As you predicted earlier, I triggered the fire alarm on purpose to disguise the reason I was wet,” Maki stated. “My hair is so long, that even if I changed clothes, I wouldn’t be able to dry off anytime soon.”

It was just as Shuichi had thought.

“The Monokubs showed up to the crime scene almost instantly, because they were annoyed with me for setting off the alarm,” Maki said. “I took the opportunity to ask them some questions about Korekiyo’s death. For example, would I still be punished since I had acted in self-defence?”

“Murder’s murder! That’s what I always say!” Monokid called from his podium.

“That’s exactly what they said,” Maki went on. “That no matter what the circumstances, I’d committed a murder.”

“But wasn’t Korekiyo still only unconscious at this point?” Tenko asked.

“I presume so, but I wasn’t aware; I thought he was dead,” Maki replied.

“It doesn’t take long for someone to drown,” Rantaro added. “Korekiyo must have died in the time you were talking to the Monokubs.”

“As I was talking to the Monokubs, they told me some very important information, which I don’t think they were supposed to,” Maki shared. “They informed me that a murder had already taken place, which prevented me from being able to graduate if I were successful in the trial, since only the first murder counts. I didn’t care about graduating, but it made me realise that if I kept quiet and remained undetected, no one would ever have to know what happened between myself and Korekiyo.”

“Hahahahaha!” Miu lent back her head and roared with laughter. “Bullshit alert! You’re telling this story like it’s a really shitty fanfiction.”

“It does seem a bit convenient…” Tenko scratched her head.

“If you knew about the double murder rule, then why didn’t you say something sooner?” Tsumugi asked.

“Because it was information that I wasn’t supposed to know,” Maki explained. “If I told you, you’d all be wondering how I found out.”

“You’re just saying this so we don’t vote for you as the blackened and you get to leave,” Ryoma frowned.

“I promise you, I’m telling the truth,” Maki vowed.

“Sorry, but your word is worth that much considering you’ve lied about your talent since day one…” Ryoma replied.

“You also lied about killing Korekiyo,” Tsumugi added. “You should have told us that it was self-defence.”

“I didn’t think anyone would believe me,” Maki objected. “You don’t even believe me now!”

“What about Himiko?” Tenko asked. “Did you…?”

“No,” Maki shook her head. “I have no idea what happened over at Himiko’s lab.”

“That could be another lie…” Kokichi said.

“Well, it’s not,” Maki retorted. “As I said, the Monokubs told me another murder had already taken place.”

Rantaro turned to the bears. “Kubs, is this true?”

“Pffft, like we’re gonna tell youse,” Monosuke smirked.

“You know, we’ve been so busy discussing Maki, there’s something we’ve completely missed,” Keebo realised. “Would Korekiyo really try to kill Maki? And if so, why?”

“That’s true,” Shuichi noted. “If this really was self-defence, then why did Korekiyo attack Maki in the first place?”

“Because he was a super creep?” Tenko put forward.

“No matter what you thought of him, that’s not really a valid reason,” Rantaro said.

“Korekiyo could be protecting secret,” Gonta suggested. “Korekiyo afraid of motive?”

“That’s certainly a possibility, since he never attended Confession Club,” Rantaro nodded.

“Were there any signs? Any clues?” Kaito asked. “I certainly didn’t see any.”

“Leading up to the motive, Korekiyo was talking about it a lot,” Shuichi reflected. “He seemed rather consumed by it, actually.”

“I think we all were,” Keebo said.

“No, Korekiyo was worse,” Shuichi said. “I remember how hopeful he was when Monokuma went missing, because he thought we wouldn’t have to face the motive anymore. When Monokuma came back, he seemed really worried.”

“So you believe that Korekiyo really could have done this?” Kaito looked to Shuichi.

“I can’t say for certain, because I wasn’t there. But my point is, Korekiyo attacking Maki is within the realm of possibility,” Shuichi replied. “He came and spoke to me multiple times about the motive.”

“Did anyone search Korekiyo’s dorm room?” Tsumugi asked. “Maybe there was some kind of clue in there?”

“Gonta did!” Gonta exclaimed excitedly; it was his moment to shine. “Gonta find three unusual things!”

“What were they, Gonta?” Tsumugi followed up.

“Vinegar, paintbrush, and paper,” Gonta replied, as he listed the items off on his fingers.

“Uh, as we tried to tell Gonta earlier, we’re not too sure if those are actually clues,” Rantaro said.

“No shit Sherlock,” Miu scorned. “That just sounds like a bunch of random crap in his room. What else did you find? Loo roll and some condoms?!”

“Gonta, the paper you found...could I see it?” Tenko requested.

“Shuichi has it,” Gonta replied.

“Here,” Shuichi said, as he delved into his pocket. “But, just so you know, there’s nothing written on it.”

“I don’t care about that,” Tenko said. “I wanna see something.”

Shuichi passed the paper to Miu, who passed it to Keebo, who passed it to Tenko. She examined both sides, muttering away to herself.

“Did you find whatever you were looking for?” Shuichi asked.

“This paper,” Tenko said. “It’s the same kind as my fake suicide note and the letter from Himiko.”

“Well yeah, it’s a piece of plain white paper,” Kaito said. “I mean you could maybe say that if there was some kinda distinct pattern, but anyone could have this.”

“Besides, the paper would have been supplied from the warehouse, where we all have access to,” Ryoma added.

“But don’t you think it’s a bit suspicious?” Tenko pressed. “Someone fakes a letter from Himiko as well as my suicide note, and Korekiyo just happens to have some spare paper in his room.”

“That isn’t really strong enough to be evidence, I’m afraid,” Shuichi said. “It does sound like you’re onto something, but unless we could match up the handwriting, or something similar, we can’t draw comparisons.”

“Well that’s annoying,” Tenko huffed. “There’s nothing written on here at all!”

“Maybe he wrote something in invisible ink,” Rantaro joked. “That sounds like a Korekiyo thing to do.”

“Wait!” Shuichi gasped, hit by a sudden burst of inspiration. “Rantaro, that’s it!”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” Kaito said.

“N-no, I think Rantaro’s right!” Shuichi insisted. “My Uncle solved a case like this before. My Uncle’s client was confused, because every single day her husband would receive a letter. She saw these letters, and to her surprise, the paper was always blank. She couldn’t understand why her husband was receiving a piece of blank paper every single day - it was going on for months.”

“That does sound pretty strange!” Keebo exclaimed.

“My Uncle soon discovered that these letters were written in invisible ink,” Shuichi explained. “The married man was having an affair and these letters were from his mistress. It was a way for them to communicate in secret.”

“Invisible ink is a real thing?” Tenko remarked. “I thought that only existed in spy movies.”

“That’s what I thought too, but my Uncle showed me that it’s easier to create than you think,” Shuichi elaborated. “There are a few different ingredients you can use, two of the most notable being lemon juice and vinegar.”

“No one would wanna go near the lemon juice again after what Angie did,” Kokichi said.

“Korekiyo had vinegar on desk!” Gonta exclaimed, piecing together the mystery.

“Don’t forget about the paintbrush, which had been dipped in vinegar,” Rantaro added. “If Korekiyo really was making invisible ink, the brush would have been the perfect writing utensil.”

The possibility of invisible ink hadn’t crossed Shuichi’s mind until now, but if this was true, then it explained why Korekiyo had these random items on his desk. Shuichi was grateful that Gonta had bought the vinegar and paintbrush to his attention after all.

“How are you supposed to read the ink if it’s invisible?” Tsumugi asked.

“Light!” Shuichi exclaimed. “You need a direct light source.”

“Well, we’re not gonna get one of those underground,” Miu said.

“It doesn't have to be the sun,” Shuichi replied. “A flashlight would do.”

“I can help with that,” Keebo offered. “You can use my flashlight function.”

“Keebo, that would be brilliant,” Shuichi said. “I could be wrong and this is just an ordinary piece of paper, but we at least have to see.”

Tenko passed the paper back to Keebo, who turned on his lights. They shone brightly out of his eyes, resulting in several of the students turning away, in order to protect their own vision.

“Oh!” Keebo exclaimed. “Shuchi was right! There’s writing on here.”

“Lemme see!” Miu demanded.

“I can’t,” Keebo replied. “If we move the paper away from my light, the words will disappear.”

“Seems like you’re gonna have to read it to us then, Keebo,” Rantaro said. “What's been written?”

“There’s a title at the top,” Keebo revealed. “It’s underlined and says ‘Speech, draft one’.”

“Korekiyo wrote a speech...I wonder what for,” Tsumugi pondered.

Before sharing any further details with his classmates, Keebo took a minute to read the document in his head. Once he had finished, his behaviour seemed to have changed. His hands were trembling and his voice wobbled. "Uh, I...I’ve just skimmed read this letter and I’m not too sure I feel comfortable reading it out loud. I’ll take a photo and print it out for you all to read yourselves.”

If Keebo wasn’t willing to read the note out loud, then it had to be bad. What could it possibly say?

“Keebo, what is it?” Kaede asked warily.

“Um...I get the impression this is...or was...Korekiyo’s blackened speech,” Keebo revealed.

“A what?” Rantaro asked.

“If...if Korekiyo had successful killed and passed the class trial, this is what he was going to say,” Keebo explained.

“The hell!?” Kaito exclaimed.

“It’s best you see for yourselves,” Keebo insisted. He took a photograph with his eyes and printed out eleven copies, via his mouth. Once the printing was complete, they were passed around the circle. Turning off his lights, he waited in silence for his classmates to catch up to speed.

Shuichi studied the printed document in his hands. Sure enough, Korekiyo had used invisible ink, so the piece of paper was now filled with words, thanks to Keebo’s light. Apprehensive, but curious, Shuichi began reading.

 

_Speech - Draft One_

_If I am reading this to you, then it means that I have successfully cleared the class trial and have won my freedom. Or perhaps, as a turn of twisted fate, I have failed to pull the wool over your eyes, and am now facing my untimely demise._

_No matter what the outcome, I have prepared this speech so I can calmly recall the events that have led us to this moment, without forgetting any of the important details. Whether it is you who’s about to die, or myself, I think you all deserve to hear the truth, straight from the blackend’s mouth._

_When Monokuma announced the latest motive, and revealed our three potential secrets, I must confess, I thought it was a hoax. I am not the mole, I have never been involved in a fire, and I most certainly am not a serial killer. I sought Monokuma out and demanded the truth, but he insisted that one of those three facts was legitimate, and the other two were lies._

_Upon gaining this information, I knew instantly what my secret had to be - not that I remember it. There has been no fire; I can see my unscared body with my own two eyes. And I know that if I were the mole, I would have been involved with the killing game by now, so that cannot be my truth either. Leaving me with one terrifying conclusion...I am the murderer of 97 young women._

_I tried my best to ignore it, to convince myself that Monokuma was still lying. But, once we read Kirumi and Angie’s case files, I realised that without our memories, we are truly dark people. As much as it pains me to admit it, that must be my truth._

_Coming to terms with my secret made me realise that I could never let it get out. In a kill or be killed environment, I would become your biggest target. Things would never be the same; you’d only think of me as a serial killer. I am certain I would become the next victim._

_Let it be known that although my past self may be a serial killer, my current mind does not feel that way. I had a younger sister, who very sadly passed away. She was incredibly special to me, and her death hurt me deeply. I cannot imagine what possessed me to take the lives of others, since I believe no one else deserves to feel the pain that I did when I lost her._

_By now, you should know my plan, but I will recap it, just in case any details were missed. At first, I thought my plan would need to be extremely complex, in order to prevent anyone from solving it. However,_ _I learnt from Angie’s mistakes; I need_ _a simple, yet cunning, plan in order to not get caught. If I overcomplicate things, there will be more evidence that could lead to me. As for my victim, I have chosen Tenko. Although she posses strong physical abilities, I think her loyalties to Himiko will make her easy to lure. Caught off guard, it will not be difficult to kill her._

_This morning, I planted a note under Tenko’s door, which I pretended was from Himiko. I invited her to the library just half an hour before the time limit. If a killing occurs before mine, my plan will never have to see the light of day, and I can remain here in the killing game with my secret protected. However, if we have only half an hour to go and nobody has made a move, then Tenko’s life will be taken. If I am reading this to you, it is to be assumed that the latter has occurred._

_I stabbed Tenko in the library, in such a way that her death appeared to be a suicide. I left Tenko’s body with a suicide note that I have written, and then hid away in my room until someone else found her._

_It is somewhat ironic, or maybe even hypocritical, that I detest my serial killer secret, yet am willing to take Tenko’s life, and all of yours if I win this class trial. I want you to know, that I am sorry. I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but we have found ourselves in these circumstances with no way out._

_I wish you no harm, nor Tenko, but I cannot let my secret be exposed. You will come for me, you will make me your next victim. And that is simply something I cannot allow._

_I offer my sincerest apologies. However, instead of blaming each other, maybe we should turn our anger towards the greater forces that keep us here._

_Farewell._

 

Shuichi’s jaw almost hit the floor; he was dumbfounded by what he had just read. “I...I can’t believe it.” It was truly disturbing to read the speech Korekiyo would have shared, had his plan succeeded and he made it through the class trial undetected.

“I-it was Korekiyo who was trying to kill me?!” Tenko exclaimed. “How dare that degenerate think he can take my life just to protect his stupid secret!”

“I still don’t understand how someone could think their secret is worth more than a human life,” Kaito ranted.

“But it’s not just about Korekiyo’s secret; it's deeper than that,” Rantaro pointed out. “He’d become the next target; an outcast. He said so himself. He's killed 97 women. No one would trust him again or even want to be near here. Monokuma purposely unbalanced the level of secret severity. I'd say Korekiyo has one of the worst.”

“Maki felt the same way about her secret but she didn’t plan a murder,” Kaito argued.

“You believe her self-defence bullshit then?” Miu said. 

“Look,” Rantaro said calmly. “I’m not defending what Korekiyo did, I’m just saying, his reasoning here is clear. People don’t think the same. Just because Maki was okay with being a target, it doesn’t mean Korekiyo was.”

“It’s dog eats dog in a killing game,” Kokichi said. "At the end of the day, Korekiyo was just doing what we've been put here for." 

“It was so chilling reading exactly what was going through Korekiyo’s mind,” Kaede shuddered. “I’m glad we got this evidence, but in a way, I wish I hadn't read it." 

“No wonder Korekiyo wrote his speech in invisible ink,” Ryoma said. “He couldn’t risk anyone else seeing his plan ahead of time.”

“We were right about him planning the murder for as late as possible,” Rantaro noted. “He wanted someone else to bite the bullet first.”

"I suppose that shows that Korekiyo's intentions weren't completely malicious," Shuichi said. "If Monokuma hadn't created this motive, I don't think Korekiyo would have planned a murder." 

"That shows how powerful the motives really are," Kaede said. 

“But wait,” Keebo said. “If Korekiyo had this plan put in place, why would he randomly attack Maki four hours before the time limit?”

“That’s easy,” Rantaro said. “Have a think about why Korekiyo had to change his plan…”

“Ah, of course,” Shuichi nodded, the answer clear in his mind. “Because Confession Club happened.”

“Oh, I see,” Tenko said. “In the fake suicide letter, Korekiyo was running with the narrative that I had a super dark secret that I was ashamed of. But since I stayed at Confession Club, his story no longer made sense.”

“Korekiyo had to change his approach,” Kaede said. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been fooled that your death was a suicide.”

“I can imagine that Confession Club increased the pressure too,” Shuichi said. “Eight of us stayed behind. Eight people willing to share their secrets. That would’ve reminded Korekiyo that not all our secrets were balanced.”

“Emphasising the point that his secret makes him sound like a threat…” Kaede added.

“When Korekiyo left Confession Club I think he realised he had to strike now, or he risked having his secret exposed,” Shuichi theorised.

“If Maki was sitting by the pool, with her back turned, that would’ve been the perfect opportunity for Korekiyo,” Kaito said. “A spur of the moment, surprise attack.”

“But why was Korekiyo at the pool in the first place?” Tenko asked.

“Maybe he was trying to clear his head too,” Tsumugi suggested.

“Or, looking everywhere he could for any potential victims,” Kokichi put forward.

“I don’t think we’ll ever know the exact reason why Korekiyo went to the pool, but I agree that he saw Maki and thought he could easily kill her,” Shuichi concluded.

“Korekiyo didn’t know Maki’s real talent, so he probably wasn’t expecting her to fight back,” Kaede said.

“That’s true,” Maki agreed. “I was able to fight him off, but if it were anyone else, I think Korekiyo would have successfully killed them.”

“He certainly picked the wrong person to attack…” Kaito raised his brow.

“Maki, just cuz Korekiyo attacked you first, it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, ya know!” Miu said spitefully. “You’re still a killer.”

“Well, we’ve solved what happened between Maki and Korekiyo,” Kaito said. “But we still need to identify Himiko's killer.”

“Do you think it could be Korekiyo?” Tsumugi put forward. “Maybe he went on a murder spree.”

“No, I don’t think that’s the case,” Kaede disagreed. “Korekiyo said in his speech that he doesn’t consider himself to be a serial killer. He planned on killing Tenko to free himself from the motive.”

“Also, Korekiyo mentioned that he was going to commit a simple murder,” Shuichi added. “The more victims you have, the more evidence there is, so I can’t imagine him killing more people than necessary.”

“I think it’s safe to say that Korekiyo didn’t kill Himiko,” Rantaro stated. “So, why don’t we recap our list of suspects again?”

“Well,” Kaede began. “If we add Korekiyo to the list of people who have alibis-”

“And myself,” Maki said.

“You can’t add yourself to the list!” Tenko exclaimed.

“Especially not now we know your talent and that you killed Korekiyo,” Miu added.

“You know that I killed Korekiyo in self-defence,” Maki replied. “I didn’t want to do it.”

“Yeah, I don’t believe that Maki went on one big killing spree,” Kaito said, in her defence. “She should go on the list.”

“Put her on the list, but as a temporary placement,” Kokichi said.

“But-” Maki protested.

“Be grateful,” Kokichi said. “It’s better than nothing.”

“Okay, well if we add Maki to that list too,” Kaede continued. “Our potential suspects are Miu, Kokichi, Kaito, Keebo, and Tenko.”

“Why’d you name me first?” Miu scowled.

“I didn’t do it on purpose...” Kaede said apologetically.

“How are we supposed to narrow it down when there are so many suspects?” Kaito scratched his head.

“Uh, anybody got any truth serum?” Kokichi asked. “I’m all out of it myself, I’m afraid.”

Tenko rolled her eyes. “There’s no such thing.”

“Actually!” Tsumugi gasped. “I...I think I’ve solved it.”

Shuichi’s heart skipped a beat. “You...you know who killed Himiko?”

“No...but I don’t think Himiko’s killer matters anymore,” Tsumugi revealed. “Because...because I know which order the attacks happened.”

“How?” Kaito asked. “Have your memories come back?”

“Yes!” Tsumugi nodded. “And now that they have, it’s plain to see.”

“Tell us, Tsumugi,” Tenko encouraged her.

“Well, earlier you were discussing the fire alarm,” Tsumugi said. “The fire alarm which Maki used to disassociate herself from her crime. We know that Maki sounded the alarm as soon as she got out of the pool. She said so herself.”

“What are you getting at?” Maki frowned.

“Uh…” Tsumugi seemed like she was trying not to crack from under the pressure of Maki’s glaring gaze. “Well...certain memories from this morning have come back to me. I remember hearing the fire alarm before my attack.”

“Y-you do?” Kaede gasped. “When? And where?”

“Himiko and I had just been practising her underwater escape act, when the alarm sounded and on came the sprinklers,” Tsumugi shared. “We both presumed it was a drill, so we ignored it. Since Monokuma didn't leave a message, we thought it was okay to remain where we were. Himiko was already wet from her underwater act, so she didn’t mind the sprinklers. As for me, I thought they were going to stop at any second.”

“I see,” Shuichi nodded. “Then what happened?”

“I needed the toilet, so I told Himiko that I was going to the bathroom,” Tsumugi continued. “I thought by the time that I got there, the sprinklers might have stopped, but they didn’t. That’s when I decided we should evacuate, just to be safe, but I had to tell Himiko first. I was on my way back to her lab, which is when I was attacked.”

“So...if the alarm sounded before Himiko was killed, that means Korekiyo died first…” Keebo said, rounding up Tsumugi’s story.

“Exactly,” Tsumugi nodded. “I hadn’t remembered until now because of my concussion, but it's all coming back to me.”

“You don’t believe this, do you?!” Maki said, her gaze on Shuichi.

Shuichi squirmed, uncomfortable at being put on the spot. “Uh…”

“She’s lying,” Maki insisted. “Like I already said, the Monokubs informed me that I was the second killing.”

“I think that’s the lie,” Tsumugi said. “The Monokubs would never tell you something so important.”

“Oh, so you conveniently forgot that you went to the bathroom whilst getting soaked by the sprinklers?” Maki folded her arms.

“Concussion _can_ cause memory loss,” Keebo said, in Tsumugi's defence.

“Tsumugi has no reason to lie,” Tenko said to Maki. “But, you do…”

“What if Tsumugi is the one who killed Himiko?” Maki put forward, making a bold claim. “That would give her a reason to lie.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Tenko exclaimed. “Tsumugi would _never_ do that.”

“I was attacked too, remember,” Tsumugi said, motioning to the spot on her head where the lump was.

“Shuichi,” Maki said, turning to face him again. “You’re a detective, surely you can see through this.”

“I...I don’t know what the truth is here,” Shuichi said diplomatically. “But, before we proceed any further, I think we need to solve who killed Himiko. Tsumugi is still recovering her memories, so something else might come back to her, or maybe she’ll remember things differently.”

“Yeah, no offence Tsumugi, but this vote is life or death,” Kaito said. “I wanna be certain of all the facts before we come to a decision.”

“That’s understandable,” Tsumugi nodded.

“Why bother wasting our time?” Kokichi shrugged. “We all know that Maki’s gonna get executed.”

“Not necessarily,” Kaede said.

“So...the second killer…” Ryoma prompted them.

“My money’s on it being a Degenerate!” Tenko declared.

“So far, we’ve had two killers, Angie and Maki, both of which are women…” Kaito pointed out.

Tenko glared at Kaito, “I don’t care for your sexism!”

“I’m not being sexist,” Kaito objected. “I’m just sayin’, despite your judgement, we haven’t actually had any male killers yet.”

“Speaking of gross, pervy men, are we gonna talk about those clothes that went missing?” Miu asked. “Seems like pretty important evidence to me.”

“Yes, let’s talk about that,” Shuichi nodded enthusiastically. There was so much evidence, it was hard to keep on top of everything. “Maybe you should explain it again for anyone who didn’t see.”

“I was investigating the gym, and noticed that Kaede and Tenko’s mannequins were missing their clothes,” Miu revealed. “They were completely naked.”

“And I found those clothes,” Maki said. “I was in the toilets-”

“In other words, you were taking a mega shit.” Kokichi interrupted.

Maki shot him a piercing glare. “I found some clothes in a bag stuffed in the toilet. It looked like someone had tried to flush them, but they wouldn’t go down.”

“Obviously, it would just clog the loo,” Kaito said.

“Whoever did this didn’t think of that,” Maki said. “The clothes looked familiar, and that’s when I realised they were Kaede and Tenko’s outfits.”

“So...someone took the clothes from Kaede and Tenko’s mannequins and flushed them down the toilet?” Keebo recapped. “How peculiar.”

“How pervy, more like,” Miu remarked. “I bet someone used their clothes as a cum rag and tried to ditch the evidence.”

“What’s a cum rag?” Gonta cocked his head in confusion.

“Gonta, don’t ask that,” Rantaro warned him. “You _really_ don’t wanna know.”

“Surely if the clothes were ditched in the girls' toilets, then one of the girls must’ve done this,” Kaito said.

“Sexism again!” Tenko ranted. “You degenerates make me so mad.”

“I don’t see how that’s sexist!” Kaito protested. “If those clothes were found in the boys’ bathroom, you’d instantly be blaming us.”

“We can’t presume that this is the work of one of the girls,” Shuichi said. “There’s nothing actually preventing a boy from getting inside the girls’ bathroom.”

“Does anyone have any theories, besides from Miu’s, about this evidence?” Kaede asked, as she glanced around the group.

“Well, people don’t just flush clothes down the toilet for no reason, so this has to mean something,” Rantaro pondered. “I just don’t know what.”

“I have a theory,” Maki spoke up.

“Sorry, murderer’s opinions aren’t valid in this circle,” Kokichi taunted her.

“It could be helpful,” Kaito said. “Y’know, the mindset of a murderer and all that…”

“Nope, still not interested,” Kokichi shook his head.

“Do you have any other theories?” Maki challenged him. “No, so listen to mine.”

“Fine, but just know that we’re all judging you every second that you speak,” Kokichi smiled, passive-aggressively.

“We know that Tsumugi went to the toilets this morning, because she’s told us that multiple times,” Maki began. “What if Tsumugi is really the killer? She took Kaede and Tenko’s clothes to cosplay as them. She murdered Himiko in one of their outfits and then tried to flush the clothes away, to get rid of any evidence.”

“I dunno,” Miu shrugged. “Sure, Tsumugi used the toilets, but everybody shits.”

“You don’t she could’ve done this?” Maki replied.

“Course not,” Miu laughed. “Tsumugi is as feeble as they come. My left nipple has more backbone than her. She couldn’t pull off something like this.”

“Besides,” Tenko joined in. “Not only was Tsumugi attacked too, but she was Himiko’s best friend. She’d never do something like this.”

“Stop trying to scapegoat Tsumugi,” Kokichi said. “It’s so embarrassing to watch.”

“I can’t cosplay as real people,” Tsumugi spoke up. “If I do, I get the most terrible rash. It's called cospox.”

“See, I think that’s your truth,” Maki said. “You’ve been lying about cospox; it _does_ exist. You want us to believe you can’t cosplay as real people, so you can do exactly that and frame someone else for your crime.”

Kaede wore a puzzled expression. “So, you think Tsumugi was trying to frame myself or Tenko?”

Maki nodded.

“No,” Tenko spoke up. “There’s no way Tsumugi is the second killer. She wouldn’t hurt a single hair on Himiko’s body!”

“Thank you, Tenko,” Tsumugi smiled. “I appreciate your support.”

“Maki, you’re just trying to shift the blame,” Tenko insisted. “There’s more chance of me dating Kokichi than there is of Tsumugi killing Himiko.”

“Wow, Tenko,” Kokichi smirked. “I didn’t know you had the hots for me. You should’ve said so sooner; I’d have bought you some flowers.”

“Shut it,” Tenko snapped. “That was just an example. I wouldn’t date you even if we were the last two people on earth!”

“Having Tsumugi cosplay as Kaede or Tenko to commit murder does seem a bit far fetched,” Shuichi said. “Tsumugi had no idea where everyone was in the building. Her plan would’ve been too risky.”

“That’s right,” Kaede agreed. “I mean, if she pretended to be me, Rantaro and Shuichi would have instantly seen through that, because I was with them.”

"Also, if Tsumugi was actively trying to frame someone, wouldn't she make more of an effort to be seen in the cosplay?" Keebo said. "For her plan to work, she'd need someone to witness 'Tenko' or 'Kaede' near the crime scene." 

“Sorry Maki, it’s an interesting theory, but I don’t think it’s the right one,” Kaito said.

“Maybe I’m a little off,” Maki said. “But I’m certain that Tsumugi has something to do with those outfits.”

“You’re just trying to save your own ass so you don’t get executed,” Miu said.

Shuichi took a minute to think, mentally removing himself from the trial. Everything was happening so fast, he had to process all of the evidence. It’s like Maki and Tsumugi were opponents in a game of chess. Tsumugi claimed that Maki had triggered the fire alarm before she’d been attacked, making her the blackened who would be executed. Maki, however, was insisting that Tsumugi was lying, since she was actually the other killer. Who was telling the truth?

As Tenko had said, Tsumugi and Himiko were best friends, so it seemed unlikely that Tsumugi would hurt her. That being said, since they were so close, why was Tsumugi happy to go straight to the vote, rather than identifying Himiko’s killer? Not to mention, this was her attacker too. Didn’t she care? Didn’t she want to know who had tried to end her life? There was only one possibility Shuichi could think of that would make Tsumugi want to skip straight to the vote...but surely not.

With a new potential theory in mind, Shuichi focused his attention back on his classmates. He decided he was going to watch how things played out, keeping his thoughts to himself for now.

“Anyway,” Tsumugi said. “We still don’t seem to be getting any closer to figuring out the second killer. Monokuma, how much time do we have left until we need to vote?”

“Hmmmm,” Monokuma paused. “I dunno. I’m rather enjoying myself, so I’ll let you carry on for a bit longer.”

Tsumugi flinched. Her movement was ever so slight, but Shuichi noticed it since he was watching her like a hawk. She seemed antsy, like she wanted to get to the verdict. Shuichi couldn’t keep his thoughts to himself any longer, he had to speak up and share his new potential theory.

“I have an idea why those clothes were in the toilet,” Shuichi declared.

“Stop doing that, it’s annoying!” Miu glared. “Just tell us what you’re thinking without all of the dramatic pauses.”

“Maki, I think you were onto something,” Shuichi said. “About the cospox, I mean.”

“I’ve already told you, it’s a real thing,” Tsumugi jumped in.

“I know, I believe you,” Shuichi replied. “And I think that’s why you had their clothes.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kaito scratched his head in confusion.

“Tsumugi was trying on Tenko and Kaede’s clothes to see whether her cospox flared up,” Shuichi put forward. “If it did, well then, that narrows down the possibility of her three secrets. I believe that’s what she was trying to figure out.”

“Surely Tsumugi knows her own secret,” Keebo said.

“Not necessarily,” Kaito disagreed. “Korekiyo admitted that he didn’t. Maybe Tsumugi was the same.”

"But Tsumugi has mentioned cospox before," Keebo pointed out.

"Tsumugi has always suffered from cospox, and I think she knows that," Shuichi expanded on his theory. "But when she was confronted with her three possible secrets, just like Korekiyo said, they all probably seemed fake." 

“Giving people dark secrets that they don’t remember is pretty cruel,” Kaede said. 

“If Tsumugi’s cospox is real, then that means she’s either the mole or a murderer,” Rantaro noted

“Right,” Shuichi nodded. “If you were the mole, you’d be working for Monokuma, so you’d be aware. But...a murderer, well, if those memories are from your past, you wouldn’t necessarily remember, which is just what Korekiyo experienced.”

“Tsumugi isn't  _just_ a murderer,” Kokichi corrected him. “The secret accuses her of being a dark, evil serial killer."

“Tsumugi, you were trying to confirm your own secret, weren’t you?” Shuichi asked, looking straight at the cosplayer. “You couldn’t imagine yourself as a murderer, so you tested your cospox just to be certain. Although you've dealt with it all of your life, you  _had_ to be sure. Since you haven't cosplayed since being at the academy, there must've been a little part of your brain that wondered if it was actually even real or just a fabricated memory. You were trying to prove to yourself that you're not a murderer, but when you put on those clothes and came up in that familiar rash, that's when you realised..." 

“No, Shuichi,” Tsumugi denied, appearing calm. “That’s plain silly.”

“You took two different outfits, just to be sure,” Shuichi continued. “It makes sense that you chose Tenko and Kaede’s, since you have a similar body type.”

“This really has nothing to do with me,” Tsumugi insisted. “We should focus on the second killer.”

Shuichi ignored her. “Now, we know you must’ve taken the clothes today, because all of the mannequins were still fully dressed during Confession Club.”

“Ohhh that’s true!” Kaito exclaimed.

“We would’ve passed Himiko’s lab on the way out of the gym, so I’m sure you heard us all leave,” Shuichi said. “Instead of going to the bathroom because you needed to pee, I think you went for a very different reason, with a detour first.”

“Tsumugi took the clothes from the gym and went straight to the bathroom to try them on,” Rantaro joined in, supporting Shuichi’s theory. "I'm sure she would've preferred to test this out in her dorm room, but that would've eaten up too much time and made Himiko suspicious." 

“After trying on the clothes, you tried to flush them down the toilet to get rid of them,” Shuichi speculated. “Because you knew it would be too time-consuming to redress the mannequins. But obviously, this just caused a flood. You made a poor decision because you were stressed, after identifying your secret.”

“Now that the clothes were wet, you couldn’t risk trying to dispose of them anywhere,” Rantaro added. “So, you just left them.”

“Ohhh and that’s when Tsumugi went back to Himiko’s lab and was attacked!” Tenko exclaimed. “I get it now.”

“I-I’ll be honest, the clothes are my responsibility," Tsumugi shared. "I'm sorry for leading you on with this false clue, since they aren't related to the murders." 

“Oh well, at least we’ve solved that element of this mystery,” Tenko said positively.

"I suppose I should tell you the truth about my secret," Tsumugi sighed, opening up to her classmates. "Cospox is a lie. I can cosplay as real people with no issues."

Shuichi raised his brow. Had he been wrong after all? Was Tsumugi not a murderer? 

"Just like Korekiyo, I didn't recognise any of my secrets and thought they were all lies," Tsumugi shared. "But as the time limit drew closer, I started to wonder. It's plain to see that I'm not the mole, so that meant I was either a murderer or lying about cospox. Cospox is something I've known about from my previous memories, but I began to wonder whether these were fictional memories. So, I stole Tenko and Kaede's clothes to find out once and for all. I couldn't believe it but, I tried on their clothes with no problems at all. Cospox is a lie. I'm just as surprised to learn this myself." 

"Why would Monokuma make you think you have cospox?" Ryoma frowned, sceptical of Tsumugi's story.

"I suppose it makes me look suspicious," Tsumugi speculated. "You'll think I've lied so I can actually cosplay as one of you and use it for murder." 

"Monokuma definitely would have gone with that narrative," Tenko nodded fiercely. "He took my secret out of context too. Sure, I've accidentally attacked my opponents before matches, but he made me sound like I do it on purpose!"  

"Gonta happy Tsumugi can be honest," Gonta said kindly.

“Thank you for letting me get that off of my chest,” Tsumugi gave a relieved sigh. “Now we can get back to discussing the suspects.”

"Sorry Tsumugi, but I'm not ready to move on," Rantaro objected.

Shuichi looked to his friend with interest. Was Rantaro struggling to believe Tsumugi as well?

Tsumugi cocked her head. "Why not?"

"In order for me to believe your story, I need you to prove to me that your cospox is actually a lie," Rantaro explained.

Tenko frowned. "Degenerates are so demanding!"

Rantaro shrugged. "Think whatever you want, but I need to see it before I believe it."

"I would happily show you, but I can't," Tsumugi said. "There are no spare clothes for me to change into."

"You can have my jacket," Kaito offered.

"That'll do," Tsumugi nodded. "If you wouldn't mind, Kaito."

Kaito took off his jacket and passed it around the circle until it reached Tsumugi. The cosplayer slipped it on, and true to her word, she did not appear in a rash.

"See," Tsumugi smiled at her classmates.

"Hmm, I'm not so sure," Shuichi spoke up. "I wouldn't consider that to be a cosplay. You're just wearing Kaito's jacket." 

"As I already said, there are no other clothes for me to put on," Tsumugi reminded him.

"You can take my clothes," Rantaro volunteered. 

"But we're not allowed to leave the courtroom," Tsumugi protested.

"I'm well aware of that," Rantaro said. "Our lives are on the line here, so if I have to strip down to my pants to confirm something very important - I will."

"You can't expect me to strip down to my underwear as well!" Tsumugi gasped. "That's plain disturbing!"

"Disgusting is what it is," Tenko scowled, shooting Rantaro a death glare from across the room.

"You wouldn't have to completely strip," Kaede reasoned. "For example, you could put Rantaro's trousers on under your skirt, and then take the skirt off over the top of them."

"And using my jacket as a shield, you could change tops," Kaito suggested.

Tsumugi shook her head. "Sorry, but no. The thought of all of this makes me plain uncomfortable."

"Why?" Ryoma asked. "Because you're gonna come up in a cospox rash?"

"N-no," Tsumugi denied. "My cospox is fictional."

"Then prove it," Ryoma said. 

"Y-you can't force me to undress," Tsumugi stood her ground.

"No one's forcing you to undress; we've created a solution for how you can get changed privately," Rantaro said.

"I...I just..." Tsumugi struggled to find her words. "I really don't want to, not in front of everyone."

"Tsumugi, I wish there was a changing room for your sake too, but there isn't," Rantaro said. "We have to make do with our current situation."

"Sorry, but I can't do it," Tsumugi shook her head. "I won't do it."

"I think that tells us all we need to know," Rantaro concluded. "Tsumugi's secret isn't about her cospox; she's a serial killer."  

“Who cosplays as her favourite fictional villains!” Kokichi added.

Shuichi watched Tsumugi, to see whether she tried to deny this, but she didn't. She cast her gaze down at the ground, confirming to him that this was her real secret. She'd been busted, since she couldn't prove that her cospox was fictional. Shuichi had been right all along and her previous story was one giant lie. With this confirmation, he returned to his theory.

"Isn't it a bit strange that Tsumugi discovers she's a serial killer and minutes later, Himiko is murdered?” Shuichi put forward. “I think, after leaving the toilets, Tsumugi returned to Himiko’s lab and killed her.”

“And what, you’re saying a third person came along and attacked Tsumugi?” Tenko scoffed. “That's ridiculous.”

“No,” Shuichi shook his head. “I’m saying that Tsumugi attacked herself.”

“That’s even more stupid,” Tenko objected. “Tsumugi and Himiko were best friends. She would never hurt her.”

“Yeah, I can’t see Tsumugi doin’ something like this,” Kaito said.

“I can,” Maki said.

“Of course _you_ can,” Kokichi jeered. “You’re just desperate to deflect the attention away from yourself.”

"This just can't be it," Tenko insisted. 

"I'm struggling to believe it myself," Keebo said. 

"Well, does anyone else have any theories then?" Shuichi looked around. "Because I can't think of anyone else with as much evidence stacked against them."

“There is _one_ other person,” Tsumugi said, her voice so quiet it was rather eerie. “The jealous friend, who was incredibly close to the crime scene and doesn’t have an alibi.”

“Uh, Tsumugi, who are you talking about?” Tenko frowned. "Because, it kind of sounds like-" 

“You…” Tsumugi said, as she extended her finger and pointed it in Tenko’s direction.

“What?!” Tenko squawked. “That’s...that’s...I was just defending you!”

“I can’t ignore this theory just because you were nice to me,” Tsumugi said. “Tenko, it’s been very obvious that you’re jealous of my connection with Himiko. Earlier, I suspected you, but I didn’t want to say anything. However, I have to listen to my gut.” 

“W-we already discussed this!” Tenko exclaimed. “Shuichi saw my reaction and he said it was genuine. I was relieved when I saw you alive. Why would I be relieved if I'd tried to kill you?!”

“You couldn’t have exactly shown any other reaction, cuz you were standin’ right next to Shuichi,” Miu shrugged.

“Tenko, you  _were_ close to the crime scene,” Kaito muttered, taking everything into consideration. “It would’ve been easy to get to Himiko’s lab from the warehouse.” 

“I don’t believe Tenko could have done this,” Kaede objected. “She’s been so upset.” 

The students began to argue with each other, everyone talking at once. Some believed that Tsumugi was the killer, whilst the others thought that it was Tenko. With everyone talking on top of each other, it was impossible to even hear yourself think.

“My, my, aren’t things getting heated!” Monokuma remarked, as he watched over the debate. “You could even say that you guys are split right down the middle. Soooo, the Ultimate Academy is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!" he presented a key and started up the mechanism. 

“Wait, does that mean we’re going to-” before Shuichi could even finish his sentence, his podium began to rise.

As the podiums travelled towards the ceiling, Shuichi tightened his grip. He may have experienced this once before, but that didn’t make the sensation any less terrifying. It was time for the Scrum Debate, where the ultimates faced off against each other, in search of the truth. Who killed Himiko? Just like the last time, the students were divided into two teams.

The first team consisted of Tsumugi, Miu, Gonta, Kaito, and Keebo. They believed that Tsumugi was innocent and it was Tenko who had murdered Himiko. The second team was slightly larger in size and was made up of Tenko, Shuichi, Rantaro, Kaede, Ryoma, Kokichi, and Maki. They trusted Tenko and saw Tsumugi as the one with blood on her hands. 

Tenko started off the debate, by attempting to plead her innocence. “Why is this even happening? Shuichi saw my **reaction** and he said it was genuine. I'm not Himiko's killer.”

Miu stepped up to counteract her claim. “Sure you were upset, but maybe your  **reaction** was the result of guilt, cuz you killed Himiko!”

Gonta joined in, in defence of Tsumugi. “Tsumugi and Himiko best friends. Tsumugi would **never** hurt Himiko.”

“You can never say **never** ,” Ryoma disagreed, from the opposing team. “We’ve only really known each other a week and in dark times, morals and loyalties go out the window.”

Keebo presented another argument in Tsumugi's favour. "Even so, are you forgetting about **Tsumugi’s attack**? You surely cannot be suggesting that she faked it, because I saw the wounds myself.” 

“The wounds are real and that’s because **Tsumugi’s attack** was self-inflicted,” Kaede debated. “She hit herself over the head so she wouldn’t seem like a suspect.” 

"Let's focus on Tenko for a minute," Kaito said. "She doesn't have an alibi and she was **closest to the crime scene**."

"There are multiple people without alibis, yourself included," Maki retaliated. "And for your information, the person  **closest to the crime scene** was actually Tsumugi."

"Tsumugi is clearly the killer," Rantaro voiced his opinion. "Let's not forget about her  **secret**. She discovered that she was a serial killer and minutes later, Himiko died." 

For the first time in the entire debate, Tsumugi joined in to defend herself. "Tenko might be lying about _her_   **secret**!"

"That's true," Kaito weighed in. "I mean, one of her secrets does accuse her of being a  **murderer**."

Kokichi instantly rejected his claim. "You need to refresh your memory. The secret accuses her of  **murdering** onlymen." 

"E-even so," Tsumugi argued. "You can't give me **one single reason** that makes me any guiltier than Tenko." 

"Actually, Tsumugi," Shuichi rose to the challenge. " **I can**. You're Himiko's killer and I can prove it with the BDA!" 

The debate was over. Shuichi explained his evidence, as the podiums lowered themselves back down to the ground. “As we know, three people, not including the killer, must see the body in order to trigger the BDA,” he began. “Tenko and I found Himiko first. The BDA didn't sound at this point, because there was only two of us. Tsumugi knew that we were checking Himiko's lab to see if she was okay. As soon as went inside, Tenko screamed, so it was obvious that something was wrong. Yet, Tsumugi never came in to see what was up."

"Oh, because if Tsumugi is the killer, the BDA wouldn't have sounded when she entered the room, which would have given her away!" Kaede gasped.

"I didn't enter Himiko's lab because I felt so weak," Tsumugi explained herself. "Shuichi, you told me to rest."

"That just sounds like an excuse," Tenko frowned. "No matter how much pain I was in, nothing would stop me from checking on Himiko if I thought she was in trouble."

"That's easy for you to say when you're not the one who actually has a concussion," Tsumugi argued. 

"Tenko was the one who wanted to visit Himiko in her lab to begin with," Shuichi revealed. "If she was the killer, I don't think she'd have done this."

"True, she'd probably want to stay as far away from her crime scene as possible, until the BDA triggered," Rantaro said.

"Exactly," Shuichi nodded. "Tenko went straight into Himiko's lab at the first sign of danger, which I doubt she would have done if the BDA could expose her."

"That makes sense," Keebo agreed, his opinion changing. 

"My theory is also supported by the fact that Tsumugi's attack took place in the hallway outside of Himiko's lab," Shuichi continued. "Tsumugi, you had to fake it there, because, once again, you couldn't be inside Himiko's lab without the fear of the BDA exposing you."  

Gonta scratched his head. "Shuichi's theory make sense, but...but why Tsumugi attack herself?" 

"That's what I don't understand either," Keebo said. "Tsumugi could have died. Why would she take such a risk?"

"I think I can answer that," Kaede stepped in, wanting to share her thoughts. "When Tsumugi and Himiko left Confession Club, they said they were going to practise magic together. No one else saw them after that, so it can be assumed they were together all morning. If Himiko suddenly turned up dead in her lab, Tsumugi would become the number one suspect because she was the last person seen with Himiko."

"Not only that, but she was last seen with Himiko at the scene of the crime," Ryoma added.

"Exactly," Kaede said. "Even if Tsumugi lied and said they had finished practising their magic and gone separate ways, it would have seemed suspicious. So, Tsumugi thought of a way to avoid suspicion...to fake her own attack."

"It's a clever move, I have to say," Rantaro remarked, as he made eye contact with Tsumugi. "This entire trial, no one has viewed you as a suspect. We didn't feel the need to ask for your alibi and we even said you could sit out if you felt too weak. You've had us fooled this entire time. Well played."

"I'm not tricking you," Tsumugi insisted. "I was hit over the head with a sword. How could a person even do that to themselves?!"

"It's not easy, but it's possible," Rantaro said. "You just need to use enough force."

"That also explains why Himiko and Tsumugi were attacked in different ways," Shuichi noted, coming to the sudden realisation. "Tsumugi couldn't risk stabbing herself, for fear of actually dying. If she accidentally hit a vital organ or major artery, she'd be dead."

"This is all just speculation," Tsumugi protested. "It's plain to see there's no actual evidence here!"

“That’s not the only reason that I suspect you,” Shuichi said. “In fact, this is why I started to suspect you in the first place. Tsumugi, you were happy to rush straight to the vote without finding out who tried to kill Himiko." 

“Y’know that’s a good point,” Tenko noted. “I’d stay in this courtroom all week until I figured out who did this to Himiko. Yet Tsumugi, you’d just be happy to go…”

“I was trying to put everyone else’s needs before my own,” Tsumugi said. “Of course I care about who killed Himiko; they’re my attacker too! But this is a very in-depth case and we’re struggling to find evidence as it is. I wanted to get to the vote so we could all get out of here.”

“Tsumugi is considerate,” Gonta said, taking her side.

“There isn’t much evidence for Himiko’s killer, because they were under our nose the entire time,” Shuichi insisted. “Tsumugi, because of your attack, we never considered you as a suspect. We overlooked you.”

“I told you it was her,” Maki said.

"This seems legitimate, I'm just concerned at the lack of physical evidence," Keebo admitted. 

“How about this,” Shuichi proposed. “I’ll explain to you what I think happened. Tsumugi, hear me out, and then, if you are innocent like you insist, you can point out the plot holes.”

“Fine,” Tsumugi replied.

“When Monokuma announced the new motive, Tsumugi is one of the unfortunate ones who drew the short straw, with her secret being one of the darkest,” Shuichi began. “Deep down I think Tsumugi knew her truth, but she didn’t want to accept it. When Rantaro organised Confession Club, Tsumugi couldn’t stand it any longer and had to see for herself if she was right.”

“Which is when she left Himiko and went to the gym to steal my outfit, as well as Tenko’s,” Kaede followed on. “Tsumugi was checking to see if her cospox is real, which it is.”

“This solidified things for Tsumugi; that her past self is a serial killer,” Shuichi continued. “This must have been a lot to take in, so I can sympathise how hard that must have been. My secret is nowhere near as painful in comparison.”

Tsumugi said nothing and immediately cut eye contact with Shuichi.

“With the time limit looming, finding out that you’re really a serial killer can’t put you in the best frame of mind,” Shuichi said. “Just like Korekiyo, I think Tsumugi was worried about us learning the truth. Perhaps she thought we’d treat her differently or try to kill her.”

“I’m sure Tsumugi returned to Himiko’s lab in a state of panic; her mind overwhelmed with what to do,” Rantaro speculated. “In the lab, she would have seen the swords, which provided themselves as the perfect opportunity.”

“Tsumugi, when Himiko had her back turned, you sneakily took one of the swords and stabbed her with all your might," Shuichi said. "Himiko died instantly and you didn’t have to worry about the motive anymore."

“You acted in the spur of the moment, so it probably didn’t occur to you until after Himiko died that you were going to appear the most obvious suspect,” Rantaro added. “Which is when you came up with the idea to attack yourself. You took a second sword, moved into the hallway and hit yourself over the head - knocking yourself out cold.”

"From there, you've played the victim," Ryoma joined in.

“Well, I think that’s everything,” Shuichi wrapped up. “Tsumugi, if I’m wrong, then please do correct me.”

Tsumugi opened her mouth, but hesitated before any words came out. “...”

Shuichi waited patiently for her response, but he soon began to suspect that one wasn’t coming. “Tsumugi?” he prompted.

Tsumugi remained silent, although her gaze was fixated on Shuichi.

“If you’re innocent, then you should easily be able to defend yourself,” Kokichi pointed out.

“I…” Tsumugi uttered one word, before returning to her silent state.

“Tsumugi, Tsumugi say something,” Gonta said, doing his best to encourage her. “We listen, Tsumugi.”

“Y-you w-won’t understand…” Tsumugi whispered, as she finally took her eyes off of Shuichi and looked down at the floor.

“Try us,” Rantaro said. “We heard Maki out.”

“Just don’t give us any bullshit,” Miu warned her. “We’ve had enough of that this trial.”

“I...I d-didn’t mean to kill her,” Tsumugi continued to whisper. “I...I don’t know what came over me. I panicked.”

"Is...is that a confession?" Kaito asked.

Tsumugi ignored his question. “Y-you have to understand that I’m plain. I’m as plain as they come. I-I’m plainer than vanilla ice cream! S-so when Monokuma announced our three possible secrets, I just couldn't believe any of them. I’m n-not a bad person. I-I’m a plain, ordinary person.”

Shuichi listened intently.

“I-I tried to ignore the secrets as best I could,” Tsumugi shared. “T-truthfully, I kept hoping someone else would kill, so I wouldn’t have to face them. B-but the time limit was getting c-closer and everyone was still alive. A-and then, when Rantaro organised Confession Club, I realised m-more than ever that a murder would be unlikely.”

“God Rantaro, Confession Club did more bad than good,” Kokichi remarked.

“Leaving Confession Club, it’s all that I could think about,” Tsumugi continued. “I-I couldn’t take it anymore; I had to find out for certain. T-that’s when I took the clothes to test my cospox, a-and as you can imagine, I learnt the truth. Except, it's not my truth. It's Monokuma's.”

"What do you mean?" Shuichi asked, confused by Tsumugi's wording. 

“I-I”m not a murderer! You have to understand, I’m plainer than plain," Tsumugi replied. "I-it's obvious that Monokuma is lying. He's framing me as a serial killer to make me a target. I'm not a killer, I'm a good person! I need to get out of here. I need to escape so I can expose Monokuma as the liar he is.”

“So...to prove you’re not a killer, you killed Himiko?” Tenko said, her tone as cold as ice.

“I-I didn’t mean to,” Tsumugi said.

“Oh, of course, we’ve all accidentally stabbed someone with a sword before,” Tenko snapped. “How could you Tsumugi!”

“I panicked,” Tsumugi confessed. “I-it all happened so quickly. I came back to Himiko's lab in a daze and her back was turned and the swords were just sitting there. Before I knew what was going on, a sword was in my hand and entering Himiko’s back…”

“I can’t believe you,” Tenko spat. “And you called yourself her friend! All of this over a stupid secret.”

“That’s pretty cold, Tsumugi,” Kaito frowned. “Was your secret really worth Himiko’s life?”

Tsumugi’s hands began to tremble, as her face started to twitch. It seemed like she was slowly starting to crack. “Y-you don’t understand! No one here understands. Your secrets were all fine!"

"Tsumugi-" Shuichi tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't let him.

"You have n-no idea what it's like to feel so d-desperate," Tsumugi snapped, her tone far more aggressive and unhinged. "You don’t know what it’s like to be told you’re a murderer when you know that y-you're not! T-there’s only one person who has been through my p-pain and that's Korekiyo.”

“How can you sympathise with Korekiyo!” Tenko cried in horror.

“Until you experience this, you can't possibly understand how painful this feels,” Tsumugi replied. “T-to be told all these lies about yourself. I'm sure Korekiyo's secret is another lie as well.”

“Tsumugi, they’re not lies,” Rantaro said. “We’ve talked about this before; we don’t have our criminal memories. All of this is just true, we’ve just forgotten.”

“N-no!” Tsumugi shouted. “I-I don’t care what you say! I know...I know that this is just another lie.”

Kaede looked at Tsumugi in concern. “Tsumugi, you need to calm down.”

“I don’t need to calm down, you need to wake up!” Tsumugi insisted, as her eyes filled with tears. “D-don’t you understand?! It’s a lie. All of this is one giant lie. It’s plain to see!”

“What’s all a giant lie?” Keebo asked.

“The flashback lights,” Tsumugi raised her voice. “They’re corrupting our brains. It’s all in the flashback lights.”

“I can’t watch this any longer,” Rantaro interrupted. “She’s hysterical and this is just bordering on cruel. We need to put an end to this trial, immediately.”

“But how?” Kaito asked. “We now know that Tsumugi killed Himiko, but we still don’t know who struck first.”

“How are we supposed to know who killed first?” Ryoma frowned. “Tsumugi says it’s Maki and Maki says it’s Tsumugi.”

“We can’t trust Tsumugi’s account about the fire alarm any more,” Kaede said. “It could just be a lie to save her own skin.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Kaito said. “If Tsumugi struck first but got us to vote for Maki, she’d be walking free.”

“But, you could say the same about Maki,” Keebo said. “This could all be part of a cunning plan to save herself.”

“Maki has been very open and admitted to us that she killed Korekiyo,” Shuichi said. “This is because the Monokubs supposedly told Maki she is the second killer, which I think is true.”

“But why?” Ryoma asked.

“Because if Maki didn’t know whether she was the first killer or the second, I doubt she’d risk her life like that by admitting to the crime,” Shuichi said. “I’m sure Maki could’ve put up more of a fight, but she didn’t, because she’s on our side.”

"The Monokubs have slipped up and revealed far too much information in the past," Kaede reasoned. "So, Maki's story is believable." 

"I assure you that I'm telling the truth," Maki said. "We're on the same side. And like Shuichi said, the only reason I confessed and didn't put up more of a fight is because I know that I didn't kill first. For my own survival, I've had to work together with all of you." 

“Hey guys,” Kokichi interrupted, changing the subject. “Do you wanna see my documentary?”

Rantaro frowned, “Are you getting bored again? What we’re discussing is important; we can’t waste time.”

“Awww, but I’ve worked so hard on it,” Kokichi pouted.

“Are we in the documentary?” Monophanie piped up, excited at the very thought.

“Yup,” Kokichi replied. “You're actually one of the starring characters.”

“What about me!?” Monokid asked.

“You too,” Kokichi nodded. “You’re like the protagonist of the documentary.”

“I wanna see it!” Monotaro exclaimed.

“I’d love to show you, but I don’t think anyone is interested…” Kokichi sighed.

“Father, Father you have to let him play it!” Monotaro insisted, begging Monokuma.

“Please Daddy,” Monophanie joined in.

Monokuma sighed. “Well, since I sold all of your Christmas presents without your knowledge, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for me to allow this.”

Shuichi couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. Kokichi was clearly lying to the Monokubs, but his manipulation seemed to have worked.

“Alright Kokichi, I give you permission to leave your podium to give me the camera,” Monokuma said.

“I can’t believe this!” Tenko exclaimed. “What happened to the trial? We haven’t even voted yet.”

“Don’t be so boring,” Monokuma belittled her.

Kokichi turned on his video camera and began flicking through the settings. “My documentary is pretty long, so I’ll only give you a sneak peek for now. Kubs, I’ll choose a scene that you all feature in.”

“I’m so fuckin’ excited!” Monokid roared.

Satisfied with the clip that he had chosen, Kokichi left his podium and passed the camera to Monokuma. Monokuma connected the camera to the big screen which hung above the students’ heads.

“Without further ado, I present Kokichi’s documentary, which stars my beautiful Kubs,” Monokuma said, introducing what they were about to watch, as he hit play.

_The screen came to life. It showed Kokichi, who had turned the camera around and was filming himself. Shuichi recognised the location instantly, thanks to the handcuffs on the wall in the background; Kokichi was in Ryoma’s talent lab._

_Kokichi waved at the camera, before turning it back around, so he could no longer be seen. He approached the window in Ryoma’s lab, which was cracked open a few inches, and placed his camera through the gap, so the audience could see into the swimming pool. It was a pretty clear view._

_Kokichi zoomed in on Maki, who was sitting by the edge of the pool, her legs dangling over the water. Since the water level was significantly lower, her shoes and socks remained dry. As Maki looked out across the water, a voice cut in over the top. It was Kokichi, narrating the footage with his cruel words._

_“Here we see a wild Maki Harukawa, who as always, is alone,” Kokichi said, imitating the voice of your typical documentary presenter. “The Maki bird is unfriendly, so you don’t want to approach it unless necessary. Their diet consi-”_

_Kokichi cut himself short and the camera shook a little as he moved his lens away from Maki to focus on someone else._

Shuichi knew right away who this new person was and what exactly he was about to watch.

_Korekiyo had entered the room, walking in through the glass doors, apparently unnoticed. He moved incredibly slowly, as if to stop his shoes from squeaking against the floor. He crept up on Maki, who was oblivious to his arrival, and then he pounced. Like a lion stalking its prey, Korekiyo grabbed Maki by the throat. Maki tried to gasp for air, but she couldn’t breathe._

_Kokichi wasn’t saying anything, but his breathing had gotten significantly heavier, to the point it was being picked up on by the camera. He didn’t do anything to help. Perhaps he knew that his own life would be in danger if caught as a witness._

_Korekiyo’s bandaged hands were wrapped around Maki’s throat as tightly as humanly possible. Maki tried to elbow Korekiyo, in an attempt to free herself, but it didn’t work. She jabbed Korekiyo quite hard, from what Shuichi could see. Korekiyo flinched, but he didn’t stop or let go; he was using all of his might to drain the life from Maki._

_In a desperate attempt, and aware that she was losing, Maki used all of her remaining strength to lunge forward. Just inches away from the pool, she was able to fall in, creating a giant tidal wave as Korekiyo went down with her._

_It seemed like Maki had made her escape, since the water had separated her from her attacker, but the fight wasn’t over just yet. She was granted a few seconds to regain her breath, but Korekiyo was ready for round two. He thrashed around in the water, desperate to grab Maki again. Maki narrowly avoided him._

_Korekiyo’s clothes were weighing him down, giving Maki the slight advantage. His long, wet hair got caught up, tangling itself around his fingers as he tried to grab Maki for a third time. Maki’s hair was longer, but luckily for her, it was tied back._

_Korekiyo made another attempt to seize Maki, aware that he couldn’t let her go. This time, the odds were in his favour, as his right wrist grasped hers. He locked on firmly, confident that he could finish her off for good. With his left hand, Korekiyo reached for Maki’s throat once again._

_Determined she wasn't going to die, Maki fought back. She blocked Korekiyo’s left hand and reached for his face - clawing him with her fingers. Korekiyo’s mask had already fallen off by this point, allowing Maki to scratch as much of his face as possible._

_Korekiyo flinched and continued reaching for Maki’s throat, until he couldn’t handle the pain any longer. He removed his grasp and used both hands in a desperate attempt to protect his face._

_Maki saw this as her window of escape. Her opportunity. Her chance at freedom. With Korekiyo distracted, she swam towards the pool’s ladder. It was her only way out. The sides of the pool were far too high to climb. Thankfully, she didn’t have far to go, but her nightmare wasn’t over yet._

_As Maki grabbed hold of the ladder rungs and began to climb out of the water, Korekiyo reached for her foot, grabbing Maki by the ankle. He’d been closer on her trail than she thought, but Maki hadn’t been in a position where she could check over her shoulder; she just had to get out._

_Aware that it was a matter of life or death, and determined not to be dragged back into the water, Maki used all her might to kick backwards, ramming Korekiyo in the face with her shoe. Korekiyo was caught off guard, falling backwards into the water. Head first, he smacked the bottom of the pool and instantly, the water began to turn red._

_By this point, Maki was safely out of the pool. Her legs were trembling as she backed away from the water’s edge. She’d been strangled within an inch of her life, so it was no surprise that she was shaking._ _She looked out to the pool, searching for her attacker. Despite the distance between Maki and the camera, her words were clear. “Korekiyo?”_

_Maki called his name, but there was no response. She stood there stunned, robbed of her words._

_It didn’t take long for Korekiyo’s body to appear, floating to the surface. He was upside down, his face submerged in the water. Shuichi watched Maki’s face as it happened; she squirmed. It was at this moment, Maki Harukawa realised she was blackened for a death that wasn’t her fault._

_Without hesitation, Maki took her next steps. She approached the fire alarm on the wall and smacked the button, triggering it immediately. The alarm whirred and the sprinklers kicked into action._ _Within seconds, the Monokubs burst into the swimming pool._

_“What the fuck is going on here?!” Monokid shouted. “We know it’s you who triggered the alarm.”_

_“Is there a fire?” Monophanie asked._

_“No, she’s triggered it for no reason,” Monotaro said._

_Maki opened her mouth to speak, but she didn’t get the chance._

_“Ha, now this all makes sense,” Monosuke smirked, as he pointed to the pool. “Someone’s tryin’ to cover up their murder.”_

_“A body!” Monokid exclaimed. “That’s made me go rock hard with excitement!”_

_"I don't wanna look at it!" Monophanie shuddered._

_“It was self-defence,” Maki explained. “Korekiyo tried to kill me first.”_

_“Excuses, excuses…” Monotaro muttered._

_“Does this still count?” Maki asked. “Is there still a class trial if it’s self-defence?”_

_“Murder’s murder,” Monokid retorted. “I don’t give a shit how or why it happened.”_

_“And unfortunately for youse, you ain’t even able to graduate if you go undetected in the class trial,” Monosuke smirked, breaking the bad news with glee._

_“What are you talking about?” Maki frowned._

_“There’s already been a murder and only the first one counts,” Monosuke revealed. "It happened just a few minutes ago, so bad luck cuz you've missed out."_

_“You fuckin’ idiot!” Monokid snapped, as he aggressively shoved his brother. “She ain’t supposed to know that.”_

_“Daddy is going to be really upset with you!” Monophanie cried._

_As the Monokubs began to panic amongst themselves, Maki took the opportunity to leave. Turning her back on Korekiyo’s corpse, she left the swimming pool, where she would sneakily return to the main school building before evacuating._

The video footage cut out after this, since Kokichi had stopped filming. As the screen turned to black, Shuichi truly felt the silence that was weighing down the room. He had no words to describe what he had just watched. It was gut-wrenching actually watching a murder play out. Seeing Korekiyo die was rather disturbing, but Shuichi couldn’t stop thinking about Maki and how sorry he felt for her.

This was not a crime of malice or bad intention. Maki had been peacefully sitting by herself, when she was attacked. Korekiyo had attempted to strangle her to death and she fought back in self-defence. This was not her fault and he was not going to hold her accountable for it. Although, he couldn't speak for the others. 

“Y-you had this footage the entire time?!” Miu exclaimed. “What the fuck, Kokichi?! You should’ve shown us.”

Kokichi shrugged. “That would’ve ruined the trial.”

Maki looked to Kokichi. “I don’t appreciate that you were spying on me, but...I’m glad you caught that. At least now you can all see that I was telling the truth.”

“I believed in you Maki,” Kaito said.

“Korekiyo might have attacked you first, but you're still the Ultimate Assassin,” Miu pointed out.

"We're getting sidetracked," Tenko said. "Don't you see what this video proves? Maki was telling the truth; the Monokubs really did speak to her about the first murder." 

All eyes in the courtroom focused on Tsumugi, who had gone completely silent. Fresh tears were travelling down her cheeks, as her bottom lip trembled. She knew that the fight was over, and she had lost. 

“Okay, this is it kids!” Monokuma exclaimed, jumping up in his seat due to the excitement. “It’s time to place your votes.”

"Aren't we going to recap the murders?" Keebo asked.

"I don't think we need to," Kaede said. "We already know exactly what happened."

Just like before, a screen lit up on Shuichi’s podium. There were fewer portraits to choose from this time, since four of them were crossed out. Shuichi couldn’t help but experience the familiar feeling of guilt, as his finger hovered over Tsumugi’s face. He was sentencing her to death. However, he had to remind himself, that it was her actions that had led him here. If he refrained from voting, he would die.

With all of the votes registered, Monokuma gleefully rubbed his paws together. He let the tension build for a few seconds, before announcing the result.

**“GUILTY!!”**

Shuichi experienced a surge of relief, grateful that he had survived another class trial. However, he didn’t seek comfort in these feelings, because he knew that he was about to witness another brutal execution.

“You brainy bunch did it again!” Monokuma exclaimed. “That’s right, Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer killed Himiko Yumeno.”

"Wait, before we get to the execution, there's something I have to ask!" Kaito blurted. "Tsumugi, can I have my jacket back, please?"

"Are you for real?" Maki raised her brow. "You have several others in your wardrobe."

"Fine..." Kaito sighed. 

Tsumugi was too busy sobbing to respond. 

“You didn’t deserve Himiko’s friendship,” Tenko said, her voice as sharp as glass.

“T-Tenko,” Tsumugi began to plead.

“Don’t,” Tenko snapped, as she turned her head away, unable to look at Tsumugi any longer.

“Wow, you really could cut the atmosphere with a knife!” Monokuma remarked. “Or how about a sword?” he smirked.

“Y-you can all judge me as much as you want,” Tsumugi stammered. “B-but just wait. Wait until it's your turn to hear lies about yourself.”

"Okay, I've had enough now," Monokuma said. "I can't wait a second longer for this punishment! Any final words, Tsumugi?" 

Tsumugi said nothing and continued to cry. Shuichi couldn't help but feel bad for her; it must be a terrifying feeling knowing you're about to die. Especially since Angie's execution had been so brutal. That being said, Tsumugi had selfishly claimed Himiko's life without any consideration.

“I’ve prepared a very special punishment for the Ultimate Cosplayer, Tsumugi Shirogane!” Monokuma revealed, marvelling in the moment. "Let's give it everything we've got! It’s punishment timeeeee!”

 

**JUST IN THE STITCH OF TIME**

 

**With no time left to waste, the punishment kicks into action. The four Monokubs jump down from their podiums and grab Tsumugi by the limbs. Monosuke and Monokid focus on the legs, whilst Monotaro and Monophanie take her arms. They drag her out of the courtroom before the Cosplayer even has the chance to protest.**

 

**The bears take her into a nearby side room. The room is rather empty, with the exception of a table, a chair, and a sewing machine. Tsumugi is forced into the chair by the Monokubs, who tie her legs to the chair’s with thick rope, to prevent her from leaving.**

 

**With Tsumugi prepped and in place, Monokuma enters the room, armed with a large pile of fabrics, which he dumps on the table in front of her. He instructs her to start sewing, which she does.**

 

**Tsumugi quickly makes her way through the pile. She produces several skirts, a few jackets, and some cute frilly socks. This takes her minutes, if that, since sewing is like second nature to her. It all seems so simple, too simple...**

 

**Monokuma reappears, with a bigger pile of fabric this time. However, this is not all he brings. He is armed with five, sturdy whips. He gifts one to each of his Kubs and keeps the fifth one for himself. The bears surround Tsumugi, their whips at the ready.**

 

**As Tsumugi works her way through the second pile, the bears give out lashes, using their weapons of torture. They chant for her to go faster and faster. Tsumugi does her best to pick up the pace, but every time the whips come into contact with her fragile skin, she cries out in pain, which stops her in her tracks. This only results in more whipping, since she isn't working. It's a vicious circle.**

 

**It's a struggle, but Tsumugi finally makes her way through the second pile. She produces a stunning pile of clothes, that cosplayers all over the world would kill to get their hands on. Meanwhile, Tsumugi's own outfit is falling to pieces and covered in her blood.**

 

**Monokuma leaves the room, presumably to collect a third pile of fabric. Tsumugi would have used this opportunity to regain her composer, but the Monokubs continue to whip her, determined to keep the punishment going for as long as possible.**

 

**Monokuma soon returns, but what he brings this time is different. It is not another pile of fabric, but instead, a gigantic sewing machine. It's larger than life - roughly the size of an elephant.**

  

**The Monokubs work together to free Tsumugi from the rope. However, they aren’t letting her go, they are just preparing her for the next stage of her punishment. Using his whip like a lasso, Monokuma captures Tsumugi by the throat and drags her out of her chair and over to his new sewing machine.**

 

 **Tsumugi is forced to lie down on this new machine, with the needle just inches away from her face. She knows what is coming, she is the fabric now. Monokuma gets to work and begins to sew, just like Tsumugi had done.** **He begins by sewing shut her eyes, making his evil, heartless expression the last thing she sees before losing her vision. Tsumugi screams for help, but no one is coming.**

 

**To shut her up, Monokuma moves on and drags his needle across Tsumugi’s mouth; muffling her screams of pure terror. This buys him a few minutes of peace, as he lines the needle in place above Tsumugi's heart.**

 

**Meanwhile, whilst all of the horror is taking place, Monokid is looking for his next victim. He chases his three terrified siblings around the massive sewing machine, desperate to push one of them under the needle.  As Monotaro runs for his life, he thrashes his whip in self-defence, in an attempt to scare off his brother. Unfortunately for him, his aim is weak, and his whip wraps itself around the needle of the giant sewing machine. He’s pulled in and lands on top of a helpless, sobbing Tsumugi.**

 

 **It’s all going wrong. The machine begins to malfunction, unable to cope with the extra weight underneath its delicate needle. It trembles and it shakes. It creaks and it whirs. This isn't looking good; it's going to collapse. Before Monokuma has the opportunity to rescue his son, the machine gives way. It comes crashing to the ground, creating a mighty rumble. Underneath the rubble, there are no survivors.**  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact about this chapter, my spell checker was pretty convinced that Tsumugi suffers from cowpox instead of cospox...


End file.
